The last week accumulated a quick succession of important events to remember: the 70 year anniversary of the Allied landing in Normandy – the definitive beginning of the end of the Nazi horror -, the birthdays of my father-in-law and of a very good friend (who now lives in Malaysia), and a Bar Mitzvah, a rare event in our dwindling community. The week´s Torah portion is Beha’alotecha, from which I gained my inspiration for two papercuts.
Beha’alotecha
Beha’alotecha is opened with G-d´s instruction to light the candles of the Menorah, one of the major daily services of Aaron, the High Priest. The verse starts with a puzzling choice of world describing the activity of kindling candles: when you cause to ascend (Heb. בְּהַעֲלֹתְךָ,) the lamps. The biblical commentator Rashi explains that Aaron had to support the flame “until it burned on its own.”
Spiritually speaking, the menorah represents the soul. To light a menorah means to ignite a soul. Thus, Beha’alotecha teaches us that we must ignite the soul of our children and students such that they shine on their own. “To support the flame until it burns on its own ” means to teach and foster full independence. Don´t teach them dependence – teach them independence. Help people to help themselves…..
Igniting the soul is what my father-in-law does by sharing his vast expertise as pediatric surgeon to students and colleagues instead if enjoying retirement and what my friend is doing in Malaysia, where he runs a field center to teach students conservation biology.
The top panel of both papercuts depicts the menorah with the seven lamps casting their light toward the center, as Aaron was instructed. The menorah includes leaves and flowers as directed. Around the panels I wrote the text of the first two verses of Beha’alotecha (Bamidbar / Numbers 8:1 and 8:2) with the word “Beha’alotecha”, which names the weeks Torah portion (Parashah) on the lower left side of the panel.
The bar mitzvah papercut
The bar mitzvah papercut depicts in the lower panel all the marks of a bar mitzvah, the Jewish coming of age celebration: the four knotted fringes of the Tallit, the two Tefillin and the Yad (Torah pointer). The current year of the Hebrew calendar (5774 – actually 774 as the 5000 is normally omitted in Hebrew date inscriptions) is shown on the tallit in the top-right corner of the lower panel. The Yad´s finger points to the word “Beha’alotecha”. The Yad´s opposite end depicts a crown, reminding us of the crwon of Torah.
The D-Day papercut
The D-Day papercut honors all those who endangered and often gave their lives during the Normandy landings to rid us from the Nazis.
It depicts the memorial sculptures by Anilore Banon entitled Les Braves at Omaha beach, St. Laurent-sur-Mer, commemorating the fallen soldiers of June 6th 1944. The memorial is composed of stainless steel columns, grouped into three elements (from left to right): “The Wings of Hope”, “Rise Freedom!” and “The Wings of Fraternity”.
In the center, I depict the two silver trumpets, which G-d instructed Moses to make. This is the part of the daily Torah portion corresponding to June 6th 1944 (Beha’alotecha of 5704). The text is from the verse of Bamidbar / Numbers 10:2 (Make thee two trumpets of silver; of beaten work shalt thou make them…)