art by Laya Crust
Haftarah: Samuel II : 6:1- 7:17
The Torah reading of Shemini and the accompanying Haftarah both describe two tragic events. In the parsha two of Aaron’s sons- Nadav and Avihu- die because they have offered sacred sacrifices at the wrong time. In the haftarah one of King David’s attendants, Uzzah, is afraid the Ark of the Covenant will fall. He reaches out to steady it and dies as a result of this action. In both cases the men who died were trying to serve God but were punished because they were serving God but not within the proscribed boundaries. These incidents are examples of crossing boundaries with extreme results.
Within the haftarah we read how King David leads the ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem with great exuberant dancing and leaping. His wife Michal looks out of her window disparaging him for his less than regal behaviour. I based the painting at the top of this page on illustrations from a 19th Century book written and illustrated in Meshed, Persia. The book is a love story of Yusuf and Zulaikha (Joseph and Potiphar’s wife) as recounted in the Koran. The Sufi poet Jami (1414- 1492) wrote a passionate love poem about them which became very popular with the public. The painting below is from a Yusuf and Zulaikha book created in Meshed, Persia in 1853.
illustration from Jamil’s Yusuf and Zalaikha, collection of The Jewish Theological Seminary, New York
The text is written in Persian transliterated into Hebrew letters. The text was presumably written by a Jew but it is unknown whether or not the illustrations were painted by Jews. The patterning is lovely with the interlocking swirls inspired by leaves and vines. The clothing is interesting, very different from the styles we see in Western manuscripts art of the same period.
Meshed and Isfahan were two communities in Persia that had strong artistic Jewish communities. They produced illustrated Judeo-Persian books such as Yusuf and Zalaikha featured above; Ardashir-nameh -a book about Esther and Ahashverosh; and Musa-nameh which is the story of Moses.
Ardashir -Nameh, collection of the Jewish Theological Seminary, New York
The Jews had a long history in Persia, dating back to 700 BCE. The Jews continued to live there although their conditions varied depending on the forces in power. For instance from 1656 – 1663 there were forced conversions. The Jews, called “anusim” (forced converts), practised their Judaism in secret.
Laya Crust 