Tetzaveh – Temple Visions

Temple Floor Plan by Laya Crust

The first forty chapters of the parashah Teztaveh (“You will command”) are dedicated to the High Priest’s clothing. The text describes combining fibres, fabrics, embedded gemstones, bells and tiny pomegranates.

The haftarah is from the Book of Ezekiel. Ezekiel was among the 8,000 Jews exiled to Babylon in 597 BCE. He writes that he is carried by God to the land of Israel. He is set on top of a very high mountain where he sees something like the structure of a city. A man, seemingly made of brass, gives Ezekiel a thorough tour of the future Temple. There are detailed descriptions of each element to be measured and positioned.

We read measurements and the positioning of each holy object in the future Temple. The illustration above is based on a rendering of Solomon’s Temple from an early 12th C. German manuscript illumination. It shows the Temple’s floor plan. All the sacred objects in the floor plan seem to lie on the floor. I used the manuscript drawing because it is so unusual and delightful. It is a charming way for the viewer to see the Temple artifacts. The manuscript is currently in Vienna, Austria in the National Library.

The haftarah begins with the words, “Thou, son of man, describe the house…”

The Jews were miserable. It was the 25th year of their exile in Babylon. God gave Ezekiel an incredible amount of information about the next Temple to share with the Jews. Hearing about the future Temple in Jerusalem, the Jews were optimistic that they would indeed return to their homes. A provision accompanied the details and plans. The Temple would only be restored if the Jews were repentant and corrected their behaviours and observances.

We will fast-forward almost 2,550 years. Under Jordanian rule, Jews were forbidden to pray at the Western Wall from 1948 until 1967. When Israeli forces liberated Jerusalem in 1967, Jews were once again free to go to the Kotel, the only remaining wall of the Second Temple. We don’t have a Third Temple, but we have a unified Jerusalem, and we can pray at the Kotel.

The Temple Mount is the holiest place of Judaism. The Kotel is the only remaining wall of the Temple’s encompassing structure. This remnant of the Temple is proof of our history, our commitment to God and Judaism, and our right to Jerusalem and Israel. This remnant of the Temple is a place where all Jews can speak to God in their own way.

Today we are fighting for our survival. Every Jew in Israel is fighting for all Jews around the world. Jews outside of Israel are defending Israel, defending democracy, and defending our religion. it is a difficult time, but we will retain our courage, our compassion, and our right to our land.

עם ישראל חי, and BRING OUR HOSTAGES HOME.

May you have a Shabbat Shalom-one of peace, understanding and warmth.

Laya

My illustrations and commentaries of all 82 haftarot can be ordered from www.haftarah-illuminations.ca as a book, a print, or a p[oster.

Yitro- Trial by Fire

“We Will Do and We Will Hear” by Laya Crust

The Torah reading “Yitro” describes God’s presence on Mount Sinai. “Now Mount Sinai smoked in every part because the Lord descended on it in fire: and other smoke of it ascended like the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mountain quaked greatly. And then the voice of the shofar sounded louder and louder…And the people perceived the thunderings and flashes of lightning, and the sound of the shofar, and the mountain smoking:…and they were shaken…” God announced the Ten Commandments. But the Israelites were frightened and asked Moses to continue on their behalf. Moses did.

Isaiah and the Seraph by Laya Crust

In the haftarah, we read about Isaiah’s vision of God on a throne with seraphim (fiery angels) surrounding God. Isaiah wrote,”...I saw the Lord sitting on a throne high and lifted up … and seraphim stood above Him…” Isaiah was afraid. He felt himself to be impure. A seraph touched Isaiah’s lips with a coal and cleansed him. This gave Isaiah the confidence to preach the correct way to live.

Fire. The Torah reading describes the Israelites witnessing God’s presence through fire and crashing sounds. The haftarah shares Isaiah’s experience of seeing God with seraphim, fiery angels, above Him. Both readings include fiery presence, evoking fear and awe. Moses’ introduction to God also included fire.

Moses’s experience with the burning bush took place on an isolated mountain. He heard the bush speaking. God’s voice from the bush was compelling and knowing, convincing Moses to take a risk, based on faith. The burning bush foreshadowed God’s communication with the Children of Israel at Mount Sinai.

I am writing this on the 118th day of the war, “Swords of Iron.” This is Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza. It is an existential war against a cruel and sadistic organization of terrorists. I read everything through the lens of what our people are experiencing in the Land of Israel and beyond.

The events at Mount Sinai changed a people into a nation. The laws, the 10 Commandments, given to us by God on Mount Sinai, provided the framework for a moral nation. The laws and their interpretations are the foundations of Jewish life, Jewish morality, and Jewish reaction.

Tragically our people have faced fire and hatred for millennia. This time is different. We are fighting in our homeland for our homeland. Today, our brave soldiers, civilians, evacuees, and Jewish citizens around the world are experiencing fear. But they are fighting on.

We will pray for the lives of our soldiers, for the return of our hostages, and for an everlasting peace.

Shabbat Shalom, Laya

Abraham art art history bible Bible stories biblical art Bnei Yisrael Book of Isaiah dvar Torah Egypt Ezekiel God Haftarah Haftorah history Isaac Isaiah Israel Israelite Jacob Jeremiah Jerusalem Jewish Jewish Art Jewish education Jews joseph Judah Judaism Land of Israel Lord Moses Parasha Parashah parsha Pharaoh prophet Sarah Sefer Bamidbar Shabbat torah Torah story Torah study Yisrael Yom Kippur

VaYigash – UNITY

Joseph’s Journey   by Laya Crust

The parashah VaYigash continues the saga of Joseph and his brothers. Joseph was sold into Egyptian slavery and rose through Egyptian society to become second in command to the Pharaoh. Now, after many years, the family is reunited. Although Joseph’s story had begun many years earlier with fraternal jealousy, the brothers allow themselves to reunite and rebuild their family. In the earlier Bible stories, the siblings did not reconcile. Cain killed his brother Abel. Isaac grew up without his brother Ishmael. Jacob and Esau never truly reconciled. In this story, we see Joseph and Judah rebuild the family, which would eventually become the nation of Israel, the Jewish people.

Reunited   by Laya Crust

The haftarah also speaks of unity. The prophet Ezekiel appeals to the Children of Israel to reunite. Ezekiel (c.622 BCE – 570 BCE) was among the 8,000 Jews exiled to Babylonia after the destruction of The First Temple. In this reading, he theatrically foretells the reunification of the nation of Israel. Ezekiel takes two branches as instructed by God. One represents the nation of Judah, and the other represents the nation of Ephraim, Joseph’s lineage.  The prophet writes, “For Judah and for the children of Israel his companions” on one branch, and “For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and of all the house of Israel his companions” on the other. Ezekiel then holds the two branches together, forming a single entity. He says that the Jews can reunite and become a unified nation, and that God will gather them from exile and return them to the land of Israel. The text reads, “I will make them one nation in the land, upon the mountains of Israel.” (v. 22)

Judean Hills

Both readings are about unity. This is a timely theme. Israelis and Jews around the world have been deeply divided about many things. They were particularly divided about the direction of the Israeli government. Our Jewish world was crumbling. The horrors of October 7 unified us as a people. Our love for our nation and our country has reignited a Jewish spirit so deep that we are fighting on every front and helping our beleaguered brothers and sisters. And we are winning. Hatred destroys countries and civilizations. We have to work together to ensure our survival. Just as Joseph and his brothers forged a better future together, we will do the same. Joseph saved Egypt and its neighbours from starvation by sharing wisdom and strategy. We have the potential to do the same. We are stronger as a united people. With prayers for our hostages, for our soldiers, and for peace and security, Shabbat Shalom,    Laya ILLUMINATIONS, An Exploration of Haftarah through Art and History is a book of all the haftarah pictures you have seen in my blog. It boasts 82 full-colour pictures and a rich commentary that accompanies each painting. For more information or to order a book go to https://www.haftarah-illuminations.com/ or to haftarah-illuminations.com

Hanukkah, 5723,2023

Shabbat Hanukkah   by  Laya Crust

This painting is based on an exquisite manuscript illumination painted in northern France, around 1278. It shows the High Priest pouring consecrated olive oil into the Temple Menorah.

The story of Hanukkah began in 168 BCE when the Syrian-Greeks, under Antiochus Epiphanes, desecrated the Holy Temple in Jerusalem. The Jews of Modi’in rebelled. Under the leadership of the High Priest Matityahu and his five sons, a group of Jewish rebels called the Maccabees hid in the mountains and fought the Greeks. The Maccabees retook the Temple in Jerusalem, purified it and made new holy objects such as the menorah, a new altar, and other holy vessels.  Matityahu proclaimed the 25th of Kislev (the third anniversary of Antiochus’s anti-Jewish proclamations) as the first day of Hanukkah.

The word Hanukkah means “Dedication.” This is the holiday of the rededication of the Temple. Josephus actually called the holiday “Urim” (which means”Lights”), so that may be why it is also called “The Holiday of Lights.”

The halachah (Jewish Law) tells us to light our hanukkiot in the street. Most of us in North America light our candles in a window facing the street. In Israel, there are special glass boxes – almost like a closed aquarium – so people can light their candles in the street and not be extinguished by the wind.

This year, Hanukkah and the world are different. The 25th of Kislev (the first night of Hanukkah) fell on December 7, two months after the massacre of 1200+ innocent people in Israel at the hands of HAMAS. 

Our modern-day Maccabees are fighting for Israel’s survival. Antisemitism has risen worldwide. Jews are being targeted with hate speech and violence. At the same time, unity among the Jewish people has risen, and support from sympathetic non-Jews has also risen. When Jews said they were afraid to put their hanukkiot in their windows, non-Jewish friends and neighbours put hanukkiot in their windows as a sign of solidarity.

The first Hanukkah was a time of miracles, and the miracles continue today. Let us all pray for the safety of our soldiers, the lives of our hostages, and the well-being of all who are suffering.

Wherever you are, I hope you enjoy some of the wonderful fried Hanukkah foods- potato latkes, sufganiyot (jelly donuts) and biofuels or loukoumades, which are Sepharadi delicacies- deep-fried puffs in honey.  Have a happy and safe Hanukkah.

Laya 

ILLUMINATIONS, An Exploration of Haftarah through Art and History is a book of all the haftarah pictures you have seen in my blog. It was published in October and released on November 24, 2022. It boasts 82 full-colour pictures and a rich commentary that accompanies each painting. For more information or to order a book go to https://www.haftarah-illuminations.com/ or to haftarah-illuminations.com

Conflict and Strength – VaYishlach

Angel and Self  by Laya Crust

Va Yeishev: Bereshit (Genesis) 32:4 – 36

Haftarah:  The Book of Ovadiah

This week’s Torah reading takes us on Yaakov’s (Jacob’s) journey through the country of Edom towards Bethlehem and Efrat. He was a successful man. He had huge flocks, 2 wives, 2 concubines, 11 sons and a daughter, yet he was nervous. He knew he had to travel through his brother’s landholdings but did not want to face his twin because of their unresolved history. Would Esau be angry at Yaakov? Did Esau still want to kill his brother?

The narrative begins with Yaakov sending messengers to his brother, announcing his approach. The report came back that Esau was coming to meet Yaakov, accompanied by 400 men.  Yaakov, frightened and anxious, sent his messengers ahead with many expensive gifts. He sent his family to the far side of the Jabok River for safety and he slept on the closer side of the river, possibly to be on the alert for any attack.

A man came and wrestled with him through the night. Finally, at dawn, the stranger told Yaakov to let him go. Yaakov demanded that the man give him a blessing, and the blessing came in the guise of a new name- Yisrael, “because you have striven with beings Divine and human” (כּי שׂרית עם אלהים ועם אנשׁים).

Golden Haggadah, c. 1320

Who was the man Yaakov fought with? An angel sent by God? An adversarial angel representing Esau? Or was it an inner battle that Yaakov was struggling within himself? At the end of the battle, Yaakov had a new name and an injury that stayed with him for the rest of his life.

Yaakov’s name has many meanings. It can mean follow, heel, or deceive. Yaakov followed his brother into the world when he was born, holding on to Esau’s heel. As they grew up, he deceived his brother and his father and, in turn, was deceived by his father-in-law.

He left Canaan to avoid confrontation with Esau and to seek a wife. Many years later he left Lavan’s estate at night, hoping to avoid confrontation. He may have been a successful man in terms of his career but he was afraid to face the consequences of his actions.

Yaakov couldn’t avoid wrestling with the angel and he refused to give up or give in to the aggressor. He was given a name that represented his strength and position.

by Gustave Dore, 1855

The night of struggle heralded a new beginning. He faced himself and the enemy across from him. That incident strengthened him in his role as leader of a nation. He could carry on and deal with whatever life put in front of him. The struggle with the immortal being took place between sending a message to Esau and actually facing him. Maybe the fight itself influenced Yaakov’s interaction with Esau.

These days, we are facing an evil, psychopathic army, gleefully bent on Israel’s destruction. They are supported by vicious, lying anti-Semites. Jews, Israelis, and Zionists face attacks- verbal and physical, hurtful and deadly, overt and covert, on a frightening level. We are witnessing anti-Semitism from UN speeches and resolutions, rallies calling for genocide, and unconscionable displays of hatred against Israel and Jews on campuses. Like Yaakov we have to face our fears rather than run away from them. Strength as a people and a nation is the only way to combat hatred and violence.

Like Yaakov we are struggling with the adversaries. Israel’s soldiers are heroes. So are those who are taking action by supporting the victims of terror, fighting media bias, feeding the hungry and displaced, aiding the ill and wounded, and speaking out for what is right. May our hostages return and may we achieve a lasting peace.

In prayer, Sabbat Shalom,

Laya

And He Returned

A Grievous Sin by Laya Crust

The title of this week’s parashah describes Jacob returning to Canaan with his family. Jacob, was the father of 12 sons and one daughter. This week’s Torah reading exposes the dynamics between Jacob’s children. Ten of Jacob’s sons were jealous of their brother Joseph. The jealousy led them to sell Joseph to itinerant traders on their way to Egypt. The haftarah, from the Book of Amos, touches on elements of unrighteous behaviour- like selling someone.

The prophet Amos was a herdsman and farmer. He taught that if the members of society are not good to each other, the society will crumble. The Kingdom of Judaea was experiencing a period of affluence. The rich were selfish and unrighteous, and there was a significant economic gap between the rich and the poor.

Amos begins this haftarah by saying, “… they sell the righteous for silver and the needy for a pair of shoes…And a man and his father go unto the same maid to profane My holy name”.  Both phrases reflect the parashah. “The man and his father going to the same maid ” reminds us how Yehuda was unfair to Tamar, his daughter-in-law. The first phrase, “they sell the righteous for silver…” describes the brothers selling Joseph to Ishmaelite traders for 20 shekels of silver.

The illustration above is based on a painting in the Sarajevo Haggadah from 1350 Spain. We see the brothers exchanging money with Ishmaelite traders. The brothers are depicted as  Spanish merchants with fair skin and light hair wearing typical clothing of the period. The traders are black, with dark skin and curly black hair.  Joseph, portrayed as a young boy, stands with the foreign traders, begging his brothers to take him back. Camels carry the merchants’ goods.

 This image tells us that the Spanish Jews traded with black merchants traveling from North Africa. It tells us about the clothing of the time and the art produced for the Jewish community. We also learn that today we use the same haggadah that Jews used in medieval Spain and that Pesach was so important that someone commissioned a handwritten, illustrated book to be used at their seder.

Amos’s words and the story of Joseph’s sale were viciously used in history by Roman judges under the emperor Hadrian about 120 CE.  On Yom Kippur, we read about ten righteous Rabbis who were martyred. The Roman judges quoted a law which stated, “Whoever kidnaps a man and sells him, or if the man is found in his possession, must be put to death.” They used Amos, Devarim 24:7,  and the story of Joseph as an excuse to torture the ten Rabbis.

The story of Joseph took place about 3,500 years ago. Amos’s words in the haftarah, the sin of “selling your brother,” are from around 2,800 years ago. That quote was abused by Roman tyrants 1900 years ago. And then we move to the beautiful Sarajevo Haggadah from 660 years ago, replete with Jewish cultural history. Amos’s message comes through- do not sell your brother. Tragedy will unfold if you don’t treat your family and society with respect and understanding. This is the line through history.

One of the goals in creating my haftarah art pieces is to forge a connection between text, art, and Jewish history. Tanach is alive. Although time continues to pass, we can still learn from our history and know that we are living the history.

Shabbat Shalom, with prayers for the return of all our hostages and a lasting peace. A peace where Am Yisrael lives in unity and safety.

Laya Crust

“ILLUMINATIONS, An Exploration of Haftarah through Art and History” is a collection of all the haftarah pictures you have seen on my blog. The book boasts 82 full-colour pictures. A rich commentary accompanies each painting. To order a book or a haftarah print, go to https://www.haftarah-illuminations.ca/

 

VaYeitze – And he went out

Ladder of Angels   by Laya Crust

VaYetzei is the story of Yaakov’s (Jacob’s)  journey from his parents’ home to his uncle’s tribe in Padan-aram. Rivka sent him to her brother Lavan to find a wife and avoid Esau’s anger.

 On the first night, Yaakov lay down to sleep and dreamt of a ladder reaching up to heaven. Angels ascended and descended the ladder, and God stood above it. God told Yaakov, “I will give you and your descendants the land on which you lie. And your seed will be like the dust of the earth. You will spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south…And I am with you and will keep you in all the places you go and will bring you back to this land: for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised…” (Bereshit/ Genesis 28: 13 – 15)

Yaakov continued his journey to Padan-aram and was tricked into marrying two sisters, his cousins Rachel and Leah. The story continues with his life trajectory over a 20-year period. We read about the birth of eleven sons and one daughter and working for his father-in-law Lavan. Under Yaakov’s management, Lavan’s flocks and wealth increased. Lavan and his sons became suspicious and jealous of his son-in-law. Reading the signals and listening to God’s words, Yaakov realized it was time to go home- to Israel. He returned to the land of his birth.

When he left Lavan’s territory “…angels of God encountered him. When he saw them Jacob said, ‘This is God’s camp’ and named the place Mahanaim.” (Bereshit/ Genesis 32: 2,3)

This parsha is a template for the history of the Jews.

First, there was a struggle causing Jacob to leave to leave his place of birth- just as has happened so many times in our history. God told him that his descendants would spread abroad to the west, the east, the north and the south. And it is so. Jews live in virtually every country and corner of the world.

When Yaakov went to Lavan he was invited to stay and work. Lavan encouraged his son-in-law to stay when he recognized Yaakov’s business acumen. Yaakov’s wealth increased Lavan became suspicious and angry so Yaakov fled with his family. How many times has that happened throughout history? Jews were welcomed to Egypt, Spain, France,  Holland, Germany, England, Poland, Lithuania, and more, where they practised medicine, were traders, and improved the mercantile system. When the population either became jealous of their success or ran into financial difficulty, Jews became scapegoats and were victimized. And the Jews have had to escape unprovoked persecution time and time again.

Yaakov and his wives had thirteen children- each of them unique. Today, we are a people of many unique traditions and interpretations.

It is significant that angels begin and end the narrative. As Yaakov leaves his homeland, he is greeted by angels and God. When God warns him to leave Lavan, the angels meet Yaakov again.

This is a horrifying time. These tragedies can only be attributed to שׂינאת חנם, baseless hatred.  Even in these terrible times, lives in Israel are miraculously protected every day. In these times of terror and upside-down morality, we are accompanied by angels. Many of the angels are our fellow Jews and the people who believe in Israel and Humanity. They bring comfort and healing and help in many different ways. Through donations, cooking, prayer, personal bravery, words and hugs of comfort. Yaakov’s descendants, the Children of Israel, are accompanied by angels of God, but we must keep our hearts and ears open to hear them.

Have a Shabbat Shalom. with love and prayers for peace, Laya

Here are two videos. One from the UN about the silence of women’s rights activists:

And another – Kuloolam singing “Like a Prayer” for our Hostages.

Abraham and Sarah, Living on Our Land

The Book of Abraham   by Laya Crust    (Hand-painted accordion fold book)

The Torah readings over the last few weeks have featured Abraham and Sarah, the patriarch and matriarch of the Jewish nation. Their story began when God chose Abraham to go to the land of Canaan and start a new nation. The painting above states, “He went with Sarai, his wife, and his nephew Lot to Kana’an.” The parashah begins with Sarah’s death and concludes with Abraham’s death.

Sarah, our matriarch, dies in Qiryat Arba at the age of 127. Abraham comes to mourn and weep for her and to find a fitting burial place for his beloved wife.  He pays for the cave of Machpela even though it has been offered to him as a gift. The text is detailed. “And the field of Efron, which was in Machpela, which was before Mamre, the field, and the cave which was in it,  and all the trees that were in the field, that were in all the borders round about, were made over to Avraham for a possession in the presence of the children of Chet,…before Mamre: the same is Hevron in the land of Canaan.” ( Ch. 23 v 17 -19)

The Book of Abraham  by Laya Crust (Hand-painted accordion fold book)

Avraham pays full price for this small piece of property, also known as Hebron, in front of witnesses so there would never be a question of ownership.

              The Cave of Machpela by Vincent Van Gogh

At the end of this week’s reading Abraham dies and his two sons, Isaac and Ishmael, come together as brothers to bury their father. They mourn together and bury their father in the cave of Machpela, beside Sarah. The two brothers meet in peace and act cooperatively. They bury their father on the land belonging to Abraham.

The biblical Qiryat Arba still exists. It is an Israeli town with about 7,500 residents outside of Hebron. Hebron, mentioned in these Torah readings exists. The Cave of Machpelah exists. The land of Canaan exists. Today Canaan is known as Israel.

Israel is historic Canaan with a modern name. We Jews have lived there longer than any other people.  Jews have owned and lived in the land- Canaan, Palestine, the Turkish Empire, Israel- call it what you will – ever since Abraham bought and owned that parcel 5,000 years ago… Jews owned Israel before 1967, before 1948, before the Balfour Declaration, and before the Zionist movement under Herzl. We owned the land all the way back to the time of Abraham.

We are strong, we are united, and we are right to protect ourselves and our land. I pray our hostages come back soon and that there is no more loss of life, that we will see peace and cooperation in Israel very soon.”

Shabbat Shalom,   Laya

partial map of Israel in Abraham’s time

VaYeira- The Sacrifice

As I write this entry, my thoughts are filled with the war Israel is fighting against HAMAS terrorists in Gaza, and terrorists in Syria, Yemen, and Lebanon. The atrocities HAMAS perpetrated on innocent civilians are unbelievable. I worry for the Israeli soldiers. I worry for the 240 innocent hostages. This tragic reality has made me reform my thoughts about today’s Torah reading.

Bird’s Head Haggadah,  1290, Southern Germany

“Akeidat Yitzchak” is a distressing story. It is read daily in our morning prayers. It is a cornerstone of our literature and has figured in Jewish art throughout the centuries.  

 God promises Avraham they will be the parents of a great nation. A nation so numerous that the population would exceed the number of stars in the sky. Avraham and Sarah wait decades to have a child. First, they have a child with a “surrogate” mother- Hagar. Then, years later, they have another son. Sarah is 90 years old when she gives birth to Yitzhak, or Isaac. As time passes, Sarah disapproves of Ishmael as a role model for Isaac and has Avraham send him and his mother away. 

Later, God tells Avraham to take Isaac to Mount Moriah and sacrifice him there. Avraham doesn’t argue. To protect Sarah, Avraham doesn’t tell her what he and Isaac are about to do. He and Isaac walk up the mountain together. Can we begin to imagine what Avraham is thinking? He is with his son. The son he has raised. The son whom he loves. Avraham protects Isaac as long as he can, carrying the dangerous materials, the knife and the fire, while Isaac carries the kindling.  As they go up together Isaac asks, “Avi, (my father, or Daddy,) where is the sacrifice?” Avraham answers that God will provide. And it’s all true. God provides a sacrifice. And Isaac survives.

 

Beit Alpha Synagogue Mosaic 5th C. CE

Can we relate to a father sacrificing his child? I think of the parents who have children serving in the Israel Defence Forces today. Parents give birth to sweet, innocent babies. As they grow up, Israeli babies and exceptional Jewish babies from outside of Israel become soldiers. Parents with conflict in their hearts send them to protect our nation of Israel, praying that it will be OK. That their children will be safe. That the nation will be fine. The children go, knowing this is their role as Israelis and Jews. How can we send our children into that kind of danger? We can’t. We don’t want to. But we do.

I transfer these thoughts to Avraham. Avraham and Sarah were chosen to begin a new nation. They were selected because they believed in one God, in justice, in honour, and in the sanctity of life. The nation they created would become “a light unto the nations.” When Avraham made a covenant with God he was ready to sacrifice what he held most dear to ensure the survival of the promised nation.

Rembrandt, 1636

Isaac trusted that his father and God were right. If Isaac was to be part of the covenant, he had to participate in the way he was called upon to participate. He had to be ready to sacrifice himself. And Sarah? Sarah had to stay home, to worry, pray, and wait, as parents of soldiers do today. 

Abraham and Isaac, Rembrandt, 1645

We raise our children for joy and peace. But at a breaking point, we have to send them to fight. October 7, 2023 was a breaking point. This war is a fight for our survival. We each do what we can. Some of us, with pain in our hearts, see our children go to war. Some write letters of protest, attend rallies, pray, send money, send food, send clothing, provide shelter, or art, or babysitting, or music, or a hug and a shoulder to cry on. It’s all important. We win when we are united.

Listen to this beautiful song by Lea Shabat called “Avraham.”

https://www.google.com/search?q=lea+shabat+sings+%22Avraham%22&rlz

May we see peace. May our hostages be returned healthy in mind and body. May we experience no more war.

Shabbat Shalom, Laya

Lyrics:

Avraham, what courage, How you walked until the end.

In the morning you woke up, How did you feel going up?

How many tears I have shed over you? And shed on myself through you?

Avraham, How you were one, And after One, you followed

Outside of everyone, You heard only Him

Avraham,  And Yitzchak knew nothing,  And he walked with his father

What is more than a father, Each one walked with his father

How many tears have I shed over you? And shed on myself through you?

Avraham

Lech Lecha, The Good and the Evil

Desert Sky by Laya Crust

The first reading in the Torah, parashat Bereisheet, includes the narrative of Cain murdering his brother Abel in jealousy and anger. The second reading of the Torah, p[arashat Noah, describes the chaos and evil that prompted God to flood the world and start a new group of people through Noah. In this week’s reading, Lech Lecha, Abraham goes to war. He saves Lot and his family from warriors who are holding them hostage.

Avraham was already in his eighties when God told him they would begin a new nation. “He (God) brought him outside and said, “Look now toward heaven and count the stars, if you are able to number them.” And He said to him, “So shall your seed be.” (ch. 15  v.5)   On a clear night the desert sky is unbelievable. It is so crowded with stars that one wonders how many diamonds can fit up there. And that was God’s promise to this man and woman who traveled the land together and were our first leaders.

There are millions of Jews living in Israel and around the world. We have never disappeared. God kept His promise. Our history hasn’t been an easy or pleasant one, but we’re still here! And we have our homeland, Israel.

Acheinu by Laya Crust

Translation: As for our brothers,​ the whole house of Israel, who are given over to trouble or captivity​, whether they abide on the sea or on the dry land:     May the All-prese​nt have mercy upon them, and bring them forth from trouble to enlargeme​nt, from darkness to light, and from subjectio​n to redemptio​n, now speedily and at a near time.

It is October, 2023. We Jews are facing another war. Three weeks ago, on October 7, HAMAS attacked Israel, intending to annihilate Israel and all the Jews of the world. They massacred over 1,200 innocent people, including babies, pregnant mothers, and infirm seniors. They abducted 224 individuals- again babies, pregnant women, ill seniors and others) to be held as hostages. These atrocities are being applauded by anti-semites around the world.

Abraham and Sarah’s story in the Bible is being repeated today. Abraham and Sarah hosted the needy and the poor. They exemplified justice. Jews around the world are pouring their abilities, their money, and their energies into helping everyone in the world who is being affected by this war. Israelis are opening their kitchens, homes, and hearts to soldiers, evacuees, the wounded, and those in mourning. Jews across the world are speaking out to support Jews and Zionists in cities, on campuses, and in unions who are facing misplaced hatred.

Abraham put his life on the line to try and save his nephew’s family. He bargained to save the righteous in Sodom and Gomorrah. He and Sarah opened their home and hearts to those in need. Jews and those who support Jews are doing the same today. Atrocities against humanity and genocide continue to this day. It has to be fought on many fronts in a variety of ways. We have to fight for freedom, each in our own way.

Rabbi Jonathan Sacks wrote a wonderful essay for this difficult time. Here is the link:  https://www.facebook.com/rabbisacks/posts/999081956809626

May we see peace and all the hostages returned safely.  Shabbat Shalom,

Laya

ILLUMINATIONS, An Exploration of Haftarah through Art and History is a collection of all the haftarah pictures you have seen on my blog. The book boasts 82 full-colour pictures. A rich commentary accompanies each painting. To order a book or a haftarah print, go to https://www.haftarah-illuminations.ca/