From Alef to Taf

Did you know this?
Ashet Chayil / "A Woman of Valor" is an ode of praise to the righteous woman, written by King Solomon in honor of his mother, Batsheva. The text, from the Book of Proverbs (31:10-31), is a compendium of the many facets of Jewish femininity. While it is beyond the scope of this essay to catalogue the attributes embedded in Ashet Chayil / "A Woman of Valor" the text provides an appropriate point of departure for our essay.

Line by line, Ashet Chayil / "A Woman of Valor," follows the letters of the Hebrew alphabet ("alef-bet"), with each line corresponding to one letter. The "alef-bet" format is Solomon's way of comparing the all-encompassing virtues of the righteous woman to the completeness of the entire alphabet. The deeper significance of the "alef-bet" also finds its way into Ashet Chayil/"A Woman of Valor." Our sages say that God combined the spiritual powers vested in each letter of the "alef-bet" as building blocks for the universe. Through the "alef-bet" structure of his text, Solomon establishes a connection between the creative potential of the Hebrew alphabet and the Jewish woman who like the letters is also a builder - her edifice being the Jewish people.


At the start of the week, I displayed a lovely prayerbook. Today, at the end of the week feast your eyes on these wonderful bookends, perfect for holding your a portion of your Jewish library. These are from Zoe Designs, and are available in black and silver.

I am going on vacation with my family... driving north to see the mishpochah and then a few days of relaxation in the mountains of Virginia (at least that is the plan). Next week, Kathi Gose, a wonderful reader and artist has agreed to fill in for me. The week after that I will post as often as I can. Things should be back to normal around August 13th or so. Be nice to Kathi- she is a righteous woman!

Shabbat Shalom

Wishful thinking

Lo the winter is past
The rain is over and gone;
The flowers appear on the earth
The time of the singing of birds is come
Song of Solomon 2:10-11

Were it not for a completely unnatural substance, this blog likely would not have been born. Not quite a year ago, I developed an itch- I wanted to make Judaica. I searched for a medium and was unsatisfied. That is until I discovered POLYMER CLAY. Some would call it a child's toy but in the work of an artist the possiblilities are endless.

Today, I will give you a taste of this medium, hopefully you will want more and more (like me).

Eti Raz makes these wonderful hamsot. Don't you feel like she peered out her window and saw this field of sunflowers before she made the hamsa on the right?






















It appears that irises were growing outside Roni Gur's window.