L'Chayim
2020 / 5781
Pen and ink on paper
Texts in the Artwork
לְחַיׅיׅם
L’Chayim / To Life, For Life
לְחַיׅיׅם
L’Chayim / To Life, For Life
בְּרֵאשִׁית א: ב-ה
Breishit / Genesis / In the Beginning
וְהָאָרֶץ, הָיְתָה תֹהוּ וָבֹהוּ,
And the earth was chaos and unformed
וְחֹשֶׁךְ, עַל-פְּנֵי תְהוֹם;
and darkness on the face of the deep
וְרוּחַ אֱלֹקים, מְרַחֶפֶת עַל-פְּנֵי הַמָּיִם.
and the wind-spirit of God hovers on the face of the water.
וַיֹּאמֶר אֱלֹקים, יְהִי אוֹר;
And God said “let light be,”
וַיְהִי-אוֹר.
and light became.
וַיַּרְא אֱלֹקים אֶת-הָאוֹר,
And God looked at the light
כִּי-טוֹב;
because good
וַיַּבְדֵּל אֱלֹקים בֵּין הָאוֹר וּבֵין הַחֹשֶׁךְ.
and God separated between the light and between the darkness.
וַיִּקְרָא אֱלֹקים לָאוֹר יוֹם, וְלַחֹשֶׁךְ קָרָא לָיְלָה;
And God called to the light: day, and to the darkness called: night,
וַיְהִי-עֶרֶב וַיְהִי-בֹקֶר,
and evening became and morning became
יוֹם אֶחָד.
one day.
יְשַׁעְיָהוּ מ: ד-ה
Yeshayahu / Isaiah 40: 4-5
כָּל-גֶּיא, יִנָּשֵׂא,
Every valley shall be exalted
וְכָל-הַר וְגִבְעָה, יִשְׁפָּלוּ;
and every hill and mountain shall be made low,
וְהָיָה הֶעָקֹב לְמִישׁוֹר,
the rough places will be made plain
וְהָרְכָסִים לְבִקְעָה.
and the crooked places will be made straight.
וְנִגְלָה, כְּבוֹד ה’
And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed
וְרָאוּ כָל-בָּשָׂר יַחְדָּו,
and all flesh shall see it together
Sourcing
Breishit / Genesis / In the Beginning
Translation:
Talia Werber with reference to Everett Fox’s Five Books of Moses and Mechon Mamre
Yeshayahu / Isaiah 40: 4-5
Translation:
Martin Luther King Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech, supplemented by Talia Werber
