בס”ד
By Rabbi Moshe Goodman, Kollel Ohr Shlomo, Hebron
Painting by: Baruch Nachshon z”l
In this painting we see the Lubavitcher Rebbe holding a sefer Torah upon a wave in the sea. Within the wave appear the words “the time of your redemption has come,” words that are said by the Mashiach according to our Sages. Indeed, the Rebbe was very involved with the coming of the Mashiach. Also, the Mashiach is a king who is meant to hold a sefer Torah at all times, which seems to be the meaning of the Rebbe’s holding the sefer Torah here. The significance of the sea here found with Egypt in the background quite clearly evokes the splitting of the Sea in the Exodus, which happened on the seventh of Pesach, as we will commemorate this Shabbat. The Zohar makes a clear connection between the figure of Moshe Rabeinu in the Exodus to the figure of Mashiach in the future, as it says “mah shehaya hu sheyiheye – what was, shall be,” words that carry the acronym “Moshe.” The name of Moshe itself means “drawn from the waters, and indeed that is not only what happened to him personally, but also his leadership position on a national level to “draw the People from the waters of destruction and Exile.” These waters represent the waters that could potentially destroy, and indeed we see here among the sea waters predatory animals such as the crocodile, the lioness, and the crow which according to our Sages is associated with cruelty. However, as Yitro said “what they [the Egyptians planned to destroy, i.e water] became their very own downfall [as they drowned in the Red Sea].” This reversal may be hinted by the dolphins seen here, for dolphins may represent intelligence due to their high intellect of marine animals, and through intellect harnessed for sanctity as in Torah study, even evil can be transformed into good.
We see four white birds which may hint to the four terms of redemption, but yet there is also a fifth bird of brown color. This bird may hint to the fifth term of redemption hinting to the future redemption of Mashiach so associated with the Rebbe. This fifth term says “I will bring them to the Land,” and the earthly Land is associated to the color of brown earth, explaining why this bird is brown. We also see a lamb blowing the shofar seeming to hint to the month of Nisan which is the lamb/ram in the zodiac. Our Sages teach that our ancestors were redeemed in Nisan, and so will we be redeemed in the month of Nisan. The shofar is known to be also an instrument of redemption, which is also strongly connected to Hebron: “At that time (the “end of days”) the three Patriarchs will adjoin with might, and Truah, Shvarim, Tkiah will be sounded, and with them the “the earth shall shake”, and this will be in the “end of days”, and all these miracles will be in the Land of Israel, for there is located Hebron where the Patriarchs are buried.”(Tikunei Zohar 13, 28b)