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Star of David
The Star of David decorated with gems of the twelve
tribes floats above a mountain, always an important focal point for a wandering
people. As Jews, we are always ascending to a higher place. Olive branches
symbolize peace and victory. Seven moons allude to the lunar nature of
the Jewish calendar and to the seven phases of Jewish life. This window,
along with the three that follow, is part of our sanctuary.
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Seven-Branched Menorah
The Seven-Branched Menorah, symbol of the State of
Israel and of the Jewish people, is studded with the gems of the twelve
tribes. Almond blossoms and fruits, one of the "seven species,"
are a symbol of spring and of the Menorah (arising from God's instructions
regarding the construction of the original Menorah). Whereas the Star of
David in the previous window floats above hills, the Menorah floats above
water. The Hebrew inscription, "L'dor Va dor," or "from
generation to generation," alludes to the chain of tradition which
began at Sinai and continues to this day. The design reflects the "Star
of David" window in design. This window, along with the one above
and the two that follow, enhances the beauty of our sanctuary.
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Burning Bush
The pomegranate is a symbol of
the Torah because it has, according to the Rabbis, 613 seeds, symbolizing
the 613 mitzvot in the Torah. The pomegranate, showing the seeds hidden
in the earth, spews sparks alluding to the vessel of light, broken at Creation,
whose sparks we seek to re-collect. Intellectual light is symbolized by
the Hebrew letters, which are the building blocks of Creation. Here, the
mysticism of Creation is mixed with the story of Moses' encounter with
God at the burning bush. The word "Henenee" or "Here
I Am" was the first word Moses spoke to God. This window, like the
two above and the one below, graces our sanctuary.
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Tree of Life
This window features a pomegranate tree with eighteen
fruits, the numerical equivalent of "Chai," or "Life."
The fruits are split open revealing their seeds, which re-emphasize the
connection between the pomegranate and the Torah's mitzvot. The soil from
which the tree arises is "Tohu'v'vohu," the primordial
chaotic state of the universe, represented by a mass of undifferentiated
letters from which emerges the single word, "Chaim," or
"Life." The trunk of the tree resembles a human hand raised in
priestly blessing. This window, along with the three above, are featured
in our sanctuary.
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Ten Spherot
The mystical tree of life consists of ten spheres in
this specific arrangement. Within each sphere is an image of the whole.
This alludes to the fractal nature of the universe - there is a point of
view from which the electrons whizzing around the nucleus of an atom and
the planets whirling around the sun appear to be the same. This is a panel
in the Rabbi's study, an environment of books. The reflection upon the
mystical nature of Creation symbolizes the deep intellectual investigation
which has always been a fundamental characteristic of Jewish thought. The
Hebrew alphabet, showing all 32 characters, stands for the full meaning
and mystery of the text.
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Emet (Truth)
"Emet," or "Truth," is the
theme of this second window that is part of our Rabbi's study.
Before the creation of man, says an ancient Jewish legend, the angels used
the letters of the Hebrew alphabet to do much more than communicate. Every
letter was written as a mirror image of itself. Humankind's simple needs
required only half of each letter. "Emet," written in
this way says that truth is the truth, no matter which way you look at
it. The word "Emet" is a symbol of Torah because the Torah
is synonymous with truth. Also, "Emet" is made up of the
first letter of the Hebrew alphabet, the middle letter and the last letter.
It therefore stands for the whole alphabet, and in turn, the whole palette
from which God created the Universe. A vine which bears both grapes and
figs is a symbol of peace, as it is written, "each man shall sit beneath
his grapevine and his fig and no one shall disturb him."
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Shabbat Shira
Appropriately, our Hazan's office features "Shabbat
Shira," or the Sabbath of Song. This portion of the Torah, Moses'
Song at the Sea, is written in a visually distinct poetic form. Here we
see this recognizable section of the text rising behind the divided waters
of the Red Sea. The "rimonim" of the Torah are actual
pomegranates. The musical staff with the notes of "Sim Shalom"
frames the letter "Shin," a symbol of God.
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Cycles
Judiasm is a religion which sanctifies time. The cycles
of Jewish life are shown as interlocking gears representing our interconnected
existence. The cycle of a single day is represented by the three-pronged
wheel containing the names of the three daily prayer services - Shacharit,
Mincha and Ma'ariv. The gear with the 54 teeth represents
the 54 Shabbats which subsume the full reading of the Torah. Twelve moons
correspond to the names of the 12 Jewish months. The largest gear contains
the calendar with the symbols of the ten major Jewish holidays. Another
gear illustrates the symbols of the ten Jewish life cycle events. This
window and the one illustrated below graces our Executive Director's office.
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Peace and Justice
The scale of justice, symbol of balance, is entwined
with an olive branch, the universal symbol of peace. The dove holding the
smaller olive branch reiterates the idea of peace. The inscription, "Justice,
justice, shall thou pursue," reinforces the idea of justice and suggests
that the way to peace is through a balance between "tzadek,"
justice and "tzadek," charity. This window and the one
above adorns the office of our Executive Director.
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