בס”ד
By Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron
Painting by: Baruch Nachshon z”l
This painting places the verse from this parsha as its central theme: “Gaze from You Holy Heavens/Abode and bless Your People Israel and the Land that You have given us, as You have sworn to our Patriarchs, the Land dripping of milk and honey.” We see a Hasid with outstretched hands in prayer depicting the prayer mentioned in this verse. “Gaze from the Heavens” is indicated by the blue background indicating the sky/heavens. There is also a sphere at the top of the painting with a column “emanating” from it, which seems to hint to the Kabbalistic concept of “spheres and lines” mentioned in the Kabbalah of the Arizal, concepts that explain the process of Divine Emanation from the highest Heavenly levels. Indeed, at the bottom of the column we see the letter shin, a letter found on tefillin and mezuzot, which indicates the Divine Name and Presence. Below the shin we also see a sphere that resembles an eye, perhaps hinting to the idea of “gaze.” The sefer Torah seen here seems to reflect the idea that according to our Sages “Hashem gazed in the Torah and by such [as in a blueprint so-to-speak] created the world.” It seems that R’ Nachshon wished to make a connection between the Hashem’s gazing in the Torah and our request for Hashem to gaze upon us to “bring us blessing.” That is, by our study and observance [apparently also hinted by the “pomegranates” adorning the sefer – pomegranates have many seeds indicating the 613 mitzvot of observance, according to our Sages] of the Torah we will merit to Hashem’s “gazing” upon us with mercy and blessing. We also see drops of water, which seem to be a constant motif in R’ Nachshon’s paintings for blessing/”rain or dew of blessing and kindness.” Just as in a physical sense, rain comes from vapors that ascended to the horizon and then accumulate as rain clouds that pour the rain below, so too spiritual blessing comes from our efforts to raise ourselves from below upwards towards the “heavens” so-to-speak. This idea seems to be represented by the fire adjacent to these drops of water. Fire rises from below upwards. We see seven drops and also seven flames. However, at their core we see another three small orange flames above the shin. Kabbalistically the number seven usually hints to the seven lower sefirot hesed to malchut, while three hints to the three upper sefirot, Keter to Bina, considered to be the “source” of the lower seven. Here too the three orange flames seem to be the source of the upper seven yellowish flames. We also see houses indicating the words in this verse “Your People Israel.” The palm tree apparently indicates the words “the Land dripping of milk and honey,” for honey is mentioned in the Torah to come from dates. It seems that milk is hinted by the caps of houses of whitish color, resembling milk, along with houses with caps of reddish/brownish color that resemble dates.
The verse asks HaShem to bless the Land that He swore to our Patriarchs. Of course the connection of the Land to our Patriarchs is so naturally connected to the City of Hebron, Beacon of our Holy Land and City of our Holy Patriarchs. Let us connect to this city, thereby awakening Hashem’s mercy upon us to “gaze” upon us with blessing, sweet and nourishing as milk and honey.