History of Temple Isaiah coming soon. Please enjoy the history of some of the art at Temple Isaiah below.

Judaica at Temple Isaiah

"This is my God and I will adorn Him." - Exodus 15:2

 "Therefore," say the Rabbis of the Talmud, "-make a beautiful scroll of the law and write it with fine ink, a fine reed, and a skilled penman, and wrap it about with beautiful silks." - Shab.133b

Since the time of Bezal'el, the chief builder of the Mishkan, the portable traveling sanctuary which accompanied the Israelites wandering in the desert, Jewish artists and artisans Have been engaged in fulfilling the commandment of Hiddur Mitzvah, the beautification of a mitzvah.

Temple Isaiah is blessed to be able to follow in this holy Tradition.  This has been made possible by the generous Contributions from many people throughout the years.  We Thank you and invite you to enjoy the beautiful art on display In the lobby and the sanctuary.

IN THE LOBBY

BROKEN VESSELS/SPARKS OF LIGHT

Sherry Karver - Ceramic, Mixed Media, 1993 (opposite main entrance)

Artist's statement:

This work is based on the mystical teachings of Isaac Luria, a Rabbi and Kabbalist who lived in the town of Sefat during the middle of the sixteenth century,  Luria's symbolic account of creation contains three basic elements, Tzimtzum, Sh'virat Hakaylim, and Tikkun Olam.

The story begins with the concept that since God is infinite, God had to contract himself ( Tzimtzum,) in order to make a space in which the world could Grow.  God wanted to breathe a little creative light into this new world but was concerned that the intensity of the light would be too great for humanity to handle, so vessels were created to hold the light.  Then, suddenly there was a cosmic accident, and the vessels could not contain all of the light, and they shattered in a great explosion, sending sparks of light and broken shards throughout the Universe (Sh'virat Hakaylim.)  Some of the light retraced its path back to its source, but the rest was scattered and became trapped in the strewn shards which no litters creation.  These shards containing divine light are the stuff of our material world.

Our job as humanity is to separate the sparks of light from the broken Shards and to repair them (tikkun Olam,) thereby going back to the Unity and wholeness of God;s original design.  In our role as Jews. according to the Kabbalah, we help in repairing the world whenever we perform mitzvoth

When a viewer looks at Broken Vessels/Sparks of Light, I would like them to think of how in their own way they could help in repairing the World.

TZEDAKIA BOX

Rhonda Kapp - Brass, 1993 (near the entrance to the sanctuary)

Tzedaka which has come to mean charity literally means "righteousness" or "justice."  In Jewish life, Tzedaka is a mitzvah, a  moral obligation and an act of loving kindness.

IN THE SANCTUARY

TEMPLE ISAIAH BIMAH AND ARK

Rod Baer, Designer and Sculptor, 1991

Artist's statement

The ark was designed to resonate between contemporary design and a tradition that began in antiquity..  The attempt here is to speak through a direct and simplified experience of the materials and their natural integrity, built up with accents rather than adornments:  wood, an organic living material; brass, as a harkening of ancient precious metals and light itself as illuminator with glass as its conductor.  The wooden wall with vertical beams is a play on the protection and fortification of the walled city of Jerusalem.  Those walls surrounded the holiest temples, here they flank the ark.  Just as the original ark of the desert was topped by a pair of wings these wooden forms curve  upwards.  Their sweep continues around the lower wall holding the Bimah in a suggested embrace.  The longest components of the original  ark were a pair of wooden poles that were used to carry and position it within the procession or tent, here those staffs have been turned vertical to hold the main chamber in place.

In continuance with the original commandments of decorating the ark with precious metals, this ark is trimmed in brass.  The metal used here has acquired the turquoise patina of age as testimony to the length of its roots and survival, just as the tradition it represents has continued intact through centuries of weathering and tribulation.  The banding in the front is attached with square hand-forged bolt headas reminiscent of ancient rivet methods necessary for the harsh realities of desert life and warfare.  The original veils of  translucent cloth that sheathed the ark were illuminated by the passage of light through the fabric of the tent. In Temple Isaiah the glow of light is transmitted through the transparency of glass. The Torahs are held in a shaft of white light that remains unbroken from heaven to earth.  It is one continuum, from ceiling to floor.  If one looks carefully one sees that the upper mid-area of the doors is slightly clearer than the rest of the glass and this allows the presence of the Torahs to show through.  The whole design rests on the centrality of these scrolls as a focus point, on their actuality and inspiration rather than metaphor and secondary symbolism.  The first eternal light was a plain olive oil lamp, and so it remains a simple bowl, the most common and ancient of vessels, its flame inseparably connected to the illumination that houses and lights the source of all laws.

Above all else, this is a Judaic sanctuary with its own special inflection, a place of refuge and prayer.  A place of modernity and history, where corporeal bodies converse with the transcendent and immaterial.  A place where the chain of continuity can be protected and maintained.  Here everything is a vessel - be it board, chamber, word, or congregation.

TORAH MANTLES

Georges Goldstein Studio, Jerusalem, 1997

These six hand woven Gobelin tapestry Torah mantles were commissioned in honor of Temple Isaiah's 50th Anniversary.

Artist's statement:

The three Torah Mantles which are placed in the front of the ark are designed on the following themes:  Creation, Revelation and Redemption.  These three themes are linked by a general composition of lines representing a Star of David, Magen David, the symbol of Israel and the symbol of :"Light, Hope and Dreams" for the whole house of Israel.  The primary theme linking these first three mantles is the idea of  "Light," Or in Hebrew, and the various ways that God has shown his people the light.

The first Torah mantle design is Creation (Ma'asey B'raishit.)  The creative word of God in the first chapter of Genesis tells us that through God's command, the universe was shaped from darkness into light.  The seas, the sun and the moon, the stars and all of nature were created.

 The second Torah mantle design is the Revelation at Sinai (Ma'amad Har Sinai.)  The center mantle represents Torah and God's revelation to Moses.  This theme is represented by the Burning Bush and the idea that spiritual light burns eternally and is never expinguished.  The artistic concept is that the middle tapestry panel is the spiritual source of Light for the two bordering panels.

The third Torah mantle represents Redemption (Yitziat Mitzraim.)  The conceptual design is from the famous prophesy in the Book of Isaiah: "when nations shall beat their swords into plowshares and their spears Into pruning forks"-"when nation shall not life uup sword against nation neither shall they learn war anymore."  Isaiah looked forward to the eera when the "wolf would lie down with the lamb, the leopard with the kid, and the young lion led by a child:"-and the world "shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea."

The second set of three Torah mantles is based upon the Jewish precept from Pirke Avot 1.2 that the world stands on three things:  Torah, Avodah, and G'milut Chasadim.

The fourth mantle, Torah, represents limud, or studying Torah and the idea that the Torah is a way of life, from earth to heaven and from darkness to light.

The elements of the fifth mantle, Avordah, "worship," represent the idea of the Tree of Life that radiates Light onto the world.

The sixth mantle, G'milut Chassadim, represents acts of loving kindness.  The scales and fire represent justice (Zedek,) and wataer represents mercy.  This combination of justice and mercy, that is fire and water, creates heaven which represents the ultimate Light in the world

SHABBAT CANDLESTICKS

Helen Burke - Brass, 1978

MENORAH

Tom Waldron - Forged Iron, 1990

THOU ART GOD WHO TIES THEM TOGETHER AND UNITES THEM

Laurie Grossw - Fiber, 1990 (on the east wall of the sanctuary)

Artist's statement:

My work has led me to a careful exploration  of my heritage.  Through this exploration, I have increased the depth and scope of knowledge of my religion and my community.  The knowledge and feelings about Judaism find an avenue for communication through the woven vessels that I form on and off the loom.  Many of my pieces include the image of a tallit (Jewish prayer shawl..)  My fascination with the tallit began with an understanding of the traditional prayer shawl to be a garment wrapped around the body as a covering, a shelter, an environment that symbolizes the caring and protection of God.  By virtue of its continual use throughout one's lifetime, the Tallit alsobecame for me a symbol of continuity, tying the life of the individual into a single thread and binding the generations together.