Sh'ma

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by Marlene Burns

Original - Sold

Price

$2,100

Dimensions

36.000 x 36.000 x 1.500 inches

Title

Sh'ma

Artist

Marlene Burns

Medium

Painting

Description

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SH'MA
�Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the One and Only.
Blessed is the Name of His glorious kingdom for all eternity.�

This image is the expression of the watchwords of Judaism.
The red color symbolizes God and the metallic colors illustrate the heavenly realm.
The proper cantillation (chanting) of the first line is shown by the trope marks in the line separating the red from the platinum.
From the arc at the top, twelve drips come down, which represent the twelve sons of our patriarch Jacob (Israel,) from whom the twelve tribes originated. These drips allude to the midrash story that explains why the second line is not said out loud as is the first line.
The midrash explains that when Israel was on his death bed, surrounded by his sons, they announced, � Listen, father (Israel): the Lord is our God�� to let their father know that they understood and would maintain their allegiance to this basic tenet of Judaism.
In a weak, dying voice, Israel responded with the second line. We emulate his dying words by saying them softly, if out loud at all.
The four orbs of shades of blue accentuate the following words: Adonai, Eloheynu, Adonai, and Echad. (Lord, our God, Lord, One.) The blues are reminiscent of the techielet blue that one fringe of the tzitzit should be dyed. The exact shade of blue is not known.
The single shaft of red (God) anchors the design, as God anchors our beliefs and way of life.

Uploaded

December 3rd, 2009