Monday, February 26, 2007

Tezaveh

We read on in Exodus, after fleeing Egypt to wander in the desert for 40 years. During that time G'd gives forth his commandments and instructions on how to live but also how to worship him. With in Tetzaveh are the modus operandi for the construction of the ark as well as the details for the priestly robes are delineated.
Since the destruction of the second temple there are no temple priests but a part of their uniform is used to adorn the Torah, that is the breastplate.
I love the twelve tribes breastplate from Ron Starr, but I cannot find anything about the artist. We'll just have to love it as a lone object for now.

Melanie Kline is the owner of Tagin Designs. Her work has been seen and recognized throughout the United States. This is what she says about her breastplate the Tree of Life, as the Torah is known; this breastplate is rich with symbolism. At the top of the breastplate, appearing as golden fruit, are the Sephirot. These spinning symbols breathe life
into the word "Israel". What appears to be a tree is also a menorah, the symbol of Judaism. Seventy leaves adorn this menorah representing the 70 members of the Sanhedrin responsible for the interpretation
of God's laws.Spirals of consciousness infuse the air, land, and river, welcoming us to the Source of this Consciousness. The letters of the Hebrew ALEPH-BET individually form the chain by which the breastplate hangs, symbolizing the fact that all of our Torah study hangs on the understanding of these letters. The beautiful forms of the letters are also hidden in the grasses along the riverbank. The bells at the bottom of the breastplate call us to the Five Books of Moses.

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