Shaarei Tikvah Windows Brochure 2010

8/2/2019 Shaarei Tikvah Windows Brochure 2010

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The SynagogueShaarei Tikvah, The Scarsdale Conservative Congregation, is a warm and thriving progressive Jewish

community where you can worship and study, share simchas and sorrows, make lasting r iendships, and

connect with Jewish tradition. Our diverse multi-generational membership is small enough to eel likehome, yet large enough to oer and support a variety o programs and activities or spiritual growth,

learning and social action. We welcome Jews o all ages and backgrounds. Our membership is drawn

rom communities throughout southern and mid- Westchester County.

Founded in 1998, Shaarei Tikvah (Gates o Hope) began as a merger o Genesis Agudas Achim rom

Tuckahoe and Emanu-El Jewish Center rom Mount Vernon, two Conservative congregations with long

and distinguished histories. These congregations sold their properties and together bought a ormer

Christian Science Church in Scarsdale, where Shaarei Tikvah operated until this building was constructedon the same site.

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The BuildingOur beautiul building was dedicated on September 8, 2008. It was designed by architects Levin/Brown &

Associates o Owings Mills, Maryland, and built by Frankoski Construction o East Orange, New Jersey.

The central portion o the building is a main room that may be divided into a sanctuary and social hall.

The ull room, dominated by the ark and stained glass windows, is used or major services and celebrations.

Surrounding the main hall are administrative oces, classrooms housing the Anna and Louis Shere

Religious School, and meat and dairy kitchens. Interior signage is in both Hebrew and English.

The main hallway o the building is unneled so that the walls get closer to each other as one

approaches the Kaplan Bet Midrash, evoking a concentration o ocus. The circular bet midrash

serves as the hinge to the Anna and Louis Shere Education Wing, suggesting that the entire

building is in motion. Such architectural eatures emphasize that worship and study are the twoelements that combine to orm a sacred Jewish congregation.

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The theme o each window is

depicted in the ull length o its

center panel, which constitutes

an integrated unit. Each o these

center panels is surmounted by

a characteristic Hebrew word orphrase. The side panels on the

let and the right consist o twelve

separate miniature windows.

Each is a distinctive creation,

illustrating or supplementing

the basic theme. It usually is

not continuous with others

in its panel.

The windows are read rom right

to let, as one reads Hebrew. The

rst three windows tell the story

o the Hebrew Scriptures and the

last three tell the epic o Jewish

history rom the ancient Rabbis to1964, when they were designed.

They were designated by the art-

ist, Raymond Katz, as ollows:

1. The Patriarchs

2. Moses

3. The Prophets

4. The Rabbis

5. The Middle Ages

6. The Modern Era

Our beautiul windows were

designed between 1964 and

1965 by the Hungarian Jewish

artist A. Raymond Katz (1895-

1974) and built by Rhols Stained

and Leaded Glass Windows orEmanu-El Jewish Center in

Mount Vernon, where they were

originally housed until 1998.

They remained in storage rom

1998 to 2008, when they were

installed as they are now. At

Emanu-El the windows were

spaced out lining the two side

walls o the sanctuary. Our new

design places them on the ront

wall o the sanctuary and touch-

ing each other except or the

break in the center or the ark,

orming a single work o art, the

two sides o the tr iptych with the

ark in the center.

The sanctuary is oriented north-

east. Most synagogues west o

Israel are oriented east, acing

Israel and Jerusalem. Our rabbi

ruled that northeast was an

acceptable orientation, and may

be a more precise observance o

the tradition to ace Jerusalem

given the curvature o the earth.

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The Shoar

Five o the windows contain

a representation o the versatile

shoar symbol. Rarely does

a ritual object acquire such

varied associations both in the

memories and in the aspirations

o a people.

In the biblical story o

Abrahams readiness to sacrice

his son Isaac (Genesis 22),

the shoar, a rams horn, recalls

the courage o both ather and

son, and the substitution o

a ram as the sacrice. Thus,

humanitys supreme devotion is

complemented by Gods

saving mercy.

In the Mosaic legislation,

the shoar is an instrument o

proclamation, trumpeting Gods

revelation o the Law (Exod.

19:16).

In the prophetic call it is the

cry o alarm rousing humanity

rom complacency and error,

and the call to justice and

righteousness.

In the Rabbinic period it

is the symbol o humanitys

determination to achieve a new

understanding o the Law, to

expound it until encompasses

the whole o lie.

In the Middle Ages it echoes

humanitys aith in Gods justice

and in the search or truth.

Moses

The Prophets

The Rabbis

The Patriarchs

The Middle Ages

To this day the shoar serves

to call the children o Israel to

repentance and to hope in the ul-

timate triumph o Gods purposes

on Earth.

Why is the depiction o the

shoar missing rom the sixth

and nal window? The message

o the sixth window, is the rebirth

o the Jewish people ater

the trauma o the Shoah (the

Holocaust) both in America and

Israel. The window points to

the continuity o Judaism.

The shoar o that window is

not portrayed in stained glass,

because it can be seen and

heard live in our sanctuary on

Rosh HaShanah.

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The Patriarchs

The Patriarchal period is the ormative stage o the Jewish people

and its aith. The personal experiences o Abraham and Sarah, Isaacand Rebecca, Jacob, Rachel and Leah reach their culmination in the

genesis o a people dedicated to the one God, devoted to a homeland

and bearing a message to the whole o humankind.

In this era Judaism acquires the three basic elements which

contributed to its uniqueness and determined its destiny: its covenant

with God, its peoplehood, and the promise o its land. The center panel

[B 1-4] is dominated by the brilliant - (El Shaddai), God Almighty,

a name o God associated with the patriarchs, as made explicit in Exod.

6:3: And I appeared unto Abraham, Isaac and Jacob as El Shaddai.

Judaism is God-centered and its conception o God is monotheistic.

The covenant that God strikes with Abraham includes the promise

that his descendents shall be as the stars in the sky (Gen. 15:5),

as indicated by the stars above the name [B 1], and as the dust o the

earth (Gen. 13:16), as possibly indicated under the name on the let

[B 4-5]. Suspended rom the name on the right are the scales o justice

[B 4-5], reminiscent o Abrahams cry to God in connection with the

destruction o Sodom and Gomorrah, Shall not the Judge o all the

earth deal justly? (Gen. 18:25).

At the oot o the center panel Jacob wrestles with the angel (Gen.

32:25) [B 9-12]. Transposed over that, reaching up to Gods name in

the heavens, is the ladder that Jacob, in a dierent passage, sees in his

dream: A stairway was set on the ground and its top reached to the sky,

and angels o God were going up and down on it (Gen. 28:12). In the

middle we see a river, sheep and grapes, signs o the bounty o the land

that is inherent in the covenant [B 7-8]. The shoar appears in ront o a

pile o stones [B 5-6], below which is a bundle o wood, the wood that

Abraham was going to use to sacrice Isaac (Gen. 22). The stones may

be the altar or Isaac; they may also reer to the stone with Jacob set

up as a pillar [that] shall be Gods abode (Gen. 28:22), the stone which

Jacob slept against when he dreamed o the ladder to heaven. The

letters o Gods name appear to burn as re upon the stones o the altar.

The smaller panes on the right

[column C] are combinations of

the names of the patriarchs and

more images from their stories,

1. The Hebrew letter ale ().

2. The Hebrew letters bet ()and resh ().

3. The Hebrew letter hey ().

4. The Hebew letter nal-mem

), so that the rst our panes)

spell out the Hebrew name o

Abraham: .

5. The three angels who visit

Abraham with news that

Sarah will have a child (Gen.

18). The hospitality Abraham

shows the angels marks one

o the noble turning points

in his career.

6. The Hebrew letters yud ()

and tzaddi ().7. The Hebrew letter het ().

8. The Hebrew letter ku (),

so that panes 6, 7 and 8 spell

out the Hebrew name o

Isaac:

9. A depiction o the planting

o a bush, symbolic o Isaacs

rootedness in the soil o the

Holy Land.

10. The Hebrew letters yud ()

and ayin ().

11. The Hebrew letter ku ().

12. The Hebrew letter bet (), so

that panes 10, 11 and 12 spell

out the Hebrew name o

Jacob: .

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C

1

BA

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

The smaller panes on the left

[column A] depict the artists

conception of the symbols of

the twelve sons of Israel/Jacob,

most of which are taken from

Jacobs last words to hischildren in the forty-ninth

chapter of Genesis:

1. Reuben. A suggestion o the

mandrakes Reuben ound

in the eld and gave to his

mother Leah, who gave them

to Rachel (Gen. 30:14-15).

2. Simeon. Images o a spear

and a bow, weapons o

lawlessness (Gen. 49:5),

reerring to Simeon and

Levi as attacks on the

Shechemites (Gen. 34).

3. Levi. A pitcher o water,

symbolizing the Levites role

in assisting the Kohanim

(priests), themselves a subset

o the tribe o Levi, with their

purity ritual and liturgies.

4. Judah. A crown, symbolizing

Judahs inheritance o the

birthright. The line o David

and the Messiah comes rom

Judah, rom whom the scep-

ter shall not depart nor the

rulers sta rom between his

eet (Gen. 49:10).

5. Issachar. A donkey, reerring

to Jacobs words that

Issachar is as a strong-boned

ass, crouching among the

sheepolds (Gen. 49:14).

6. Zebulun. A sailing ship, as

Zebulun shall dwell by the

seashore; he shall be a haven

or ships (Gen. 49:13).

7. Dan. The scales o justice, as

Dan [] shall govern [] hispeople (Gen. 49:16), a play on

words.

8. Naphtali. A galloping deer,

as Naphtali is a hind let loose

(Gen. 49:21).

9. Asher. An image o bread,

as Ashers bread shall be

rich (Gen. 49:20).

10. Gad. The image o a snail

suggests Gads role leaving

its own borders east o the

Jordan to blaze a trail or the

other tribes.

11. Joseph. The stones sug-

gest the pit that Joseph was

thrown into by his brothers

(Gen. 37:24); the tree leaning

into the pit, the salvation that

awaited him.

12. Benjamin. A wol, as

Benjamin is a ravenous

wol; in the morning he

consumes the oe, and in

the evening he divides the

spoil (Gen. 49:27).

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Beginning on the right

[column C]:

1. The lulav and etrog, charac-

teristic o the estival o

Sukkot (Lev. 23:40).

2. The Hebrew word Loa simple negative symboliz-

ing all the prohibitions, moral

and ritual, o which tradition

counts 365.

3. A stalk o wheat, alluding to

the laws o peah and leket,

that the corners o the elds

and the gleanings o the

harvest be reserved to sustain

the poor and unortunate

(Lev. 19:9).

4. Two hands holding the

Hebrew letter tzadi (), rep-

resenting tzedakah, a unique

combination o the ideas o

charity and righteousness

in ones relationship with

ones ellow.

5. The scales, emblematic o

Gods command: Justice,

justice shall you pursue

(Deut. 16:20).

6. Tellin, worn in prayer every

weekday morning (Deut. 6:8).

7. A doe and its young, repre-

sentative o the Bibles con-

cern or the widow and the

orphan (Exod. 22:21).

The image is also suggestive

o the injunction to not boil a

kid in its mothers milk

(Exod. 34:26).

8. The Hebrew word ger

which means stranger with

the Egyptian pyramids in the

background reminiscent o

the ot-repeated command

to love the stranger or youwere strangers in the land o

Egypt (e.g. Lev. 19:34).

9. The Hebrew letter ka (),

the rst letter o the word

(kabed), as in honor

your ather and your mother

(Exod. 20:12).

10. The Hebrew letter shin (),

the rst letter o

(Shabbat), reerring to laws

o Sabbath observance

(e.g. Exod. 20:8-11).

11. This pane encloses an

ancient weight, symbolic o

the Biblical commandmentto maintain just weights and

measures (Lev. 19:35-36).

12. A cluster o grapes, alluding

to the laws o peret, that the

allen ruit o the vineyard be

reserved to sustain the poor

and unortunate (Lev. 19:10).

The Hebrew word which dominates the central panel [B 1-3] is the

Tetragrammaton , pronounced Adonai, revealed in ethical law---and in history. The Hebrew letters are in blue, appearing out o fame,

reminiscent o the Jeremiahs image o God [B 3-4] declaring:

My word is like re (Jer. 23:29). The shoar, symbol o Gods revela-

tion, appears immediately below the name o God and is emblazoned

with the words (naaseh vnishmah), we will do and we

will hear (Exod. 24:7), indicative o the total Jewish commitment to

God, Gods law and Gods will. In all the centuries since Sinai these

words have articulated the dedication o the children o Israel to the

realization o Gods purposes on earth. To emphasize our belie that

God directs the destiny o humanity, the panel depicts some o the

supernatural elements o the Biblical storythe pillars o cloud and

smoke on the sides (Exod. 13:21); the dry land in the middle with the

blue o the split sea on either side (Exod. 14:21-29); in the center under

the shoar there is the water bursting orth rom the rock (Exod. 17:6)

[B 5]; and under that the quail (Exod. 16:13) on the right and the manna,

a ne and faky substance (Exod. 16:14) on the let [B 6].

By water, manna and quail, the people were nourished in the

wilderness, symbolized as well by the oasis o trees in the center.

Just under the shoar [B 4] are two hands reaching out to God.

These hands are contrasted to the mighty hand and outstretched arm

o God (Deut. 26:8) at the bottom o the panel [B 10], depicted beside

the burning bush (Exod. 3:2), orange fames upon a green background.

The Hebrew word at the bottom, over the blue bricks, is (avdut)

slavery, and the sweep upwards is rom slavery to revelation, so beau-

tiully depicted in vivid colors behind the name o God [B 11 - 12].

It is, o course, impossible to suggest the ull scope o Biblical

legislation. The side panes on right and let give us, nevertheless,

images o various examples o the Torahs laws.

Moses

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C

1

BA

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

Continuing on the let

[column A], the rst ve

small panes depict various

objects associated with the

Exodus rom Egypt and the

celebration o Passover:1. The paschal lamb

(Exod. 12:3-13).

2. The egg, used on the Seder

plate in memory o the

hagigah (estival) oering.

3. The broken piece o matzah

(unleavened breadExod.

12:8) used in the Seder ritual.

4. A bowl o haroset, the

traditional dip o nuts and

ruit used in the Seder ritual.

5. Maror, a bitter herb, used in

the Seder ritual (Exod. 12:8).

Continuing on Column A:6. An eternal light reminiscent

o the perpetual light which

burned in the Tabernacle

(Exod. 27:20-21), in the

ancient Temples and in every

Jewish house o worship.

7. The word (Shema)

the rst word o the Jewish

conession o aith: Hear, O

Israel! The Lord is our God,

the Lord alone (Deut. 6:4).

The last ve panes depict

various aspects o the ancient

Tabernacle/Temple ritual:

8. A seven-branched menorah

(candelabrum), as used in

the Tabernacle and theTemple (Exod. 25:31-40).

The menorah is the ancient

symbol o Judaism.

9. Two hands each orming the

Hebrew letter shin (), the

sign that the kohanim (priests)

make as they deliver the

threeold blessing o peace

(Num. 6:24-26).

10. The jeweled breastplate worn

by the high priest Aaron, and

other high priests, with the

twelve dierent gemstones,

one or each tribe, and the

Urim and Thummim (Exod.28:13-30).

11. A vessel or the washing o

hands, evoking the command

to worship God in purity.

12. An image o an excavated

ancient horned-altar, similar

to the altar upon which

our ancestors brought

their sacrices to God

(Exod. 27:1-8) and rom

which they share Gods

bounty with their less

ortunate neighbors.

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The Prophets

There is no predecessor or the Israelite prophet, one who, though not associated with the ocial

cult, nevertheless speaks in the name o God.

The center panel o the third window begins at the bottom with the crossing o the Jordan at the

crumbling walls o Jericho [B 10-12]. The artist, Raymond Katz, had planned or the yellow allen tow-

ers o Jericho to extend up the rst hal o the center panel rather than only the bottom three panes

as it appears. The windows committee at Emanu-El, eeling that too much ocus was allocated to the

deeat o the Canaanites, commissioned instead rom another artist a re-working o the middle o the

panel [B 7-9] showing the Promised Land conquered and settled. Booth [B 9-10] and tent [B 6], sym-

bols o Gods providential care and bounty, testiy to the ripeness and richness o the harvest. Above

that, the kingdom, indicated by the yellow crown [B 5-6], is established. The Temple is built in Jerusa-

lem, a thankul tribute to the ulllment o Gods promise [B 4]. The commerce o Solomon is carried

by ship and caravan to all parts o the then known world [B 3-4]. Pilgrims march in peaceul procession

grateully bearing their rst ruits to the House o God [B 5-6].

Prophecy, however, sees beneath the surace o material prosperity. It demands righteousness

in the lie o every individual and in the aairs o the nation. The word (tzedek), righteousness,

thereore dominates the windows [B 1-3] . The shoar is the symbol o the cry o prophecy (Lit upyour voice as a shoarIsa. 58:1). Originating in righteousness, its call blasts out over the entire

countryside o society. The Hebrew words [B 5-6] leading rom the shoar are (Atah ha-lsh),

You are that man (2 Sam. 12:7), the rebuke that the prophet Nathan addressed to King David ater the

aair with Bathsheba when the king sends her husband Uriah to his death. These words o the prophet

have echoed through the centuries as an admonition to all. Each is responsible to build his or her per-

sonal and societal lie upon the oundation stone o righteousness.

Let us imagine what Raymond Katzs original design would have looked like. The yellow o the

allen towers o Jericho, representing the might o ortications, would have extended up to the middle

o the window, where they would have been met by the yellow o the shoar. The shoar, with its call

o justice, deeats the might o military power, just as Joshua brought down the walls o Jericho by

merely circling seven times and blowing the shoar (Josh. 6:20). The allen city o Jericho is thereby

contrasted with the yellow crown, indicating the true kingdom, drawing our eyes up to Jerusalem

and the Temple. As we have it in our window, some o that contrast is lost but in its place we see the

ecundity o the land, the promise o the righteous society.

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A

1

B C

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

The side panes contain

the names o prophets with

either words or symbols

depicting signicant elements

o their respective messages.

[column C]1. Samuel ().

3. Amos ().

4. Amos and the plumb line

by which he measured the

righteousness o the people o

Israel (Amos 7:7-8).

5. Isaiah ().

6. Isaiahs prophecy that the lion

[more properly the wol] shall

lie down with the lamb (Isa.

11:6).

7. Ezekiel ().

8. Ezekiels prophecy o the

vision o the dry bones

(Ezek. 37).9. Micah ().

10. Micahs prophecy o the

sword beaten into a

plowshare (Mic. 4:3).

11. Zechariah ().

12. Zechariahs vision o the

seven-branched menorah

(Zech. 4).

[column A]

1. Elijah ().

2. A grape cluster symbolizing

Elijahs rebuke o King Ahab

who had taken possession o

the vineyard o Nabot

(1 Kings 21).

3. Hosea ().

4. Tellin straps on the hand

reminiscent o the verses o

Hosea recited when we wrap

the tellin: I betroth you unto

me orever; I betroth you unto

me in righteousness, justice,goodness and mercy; I betroth

you unto me in aithulness

and that you shall be devoted

to the Lord (Hos. 2:21-22).

5. Jeremiah ().

6. The burning scroll o

Jeremiahs prophecy cast

into the re by the king

who reused to heed his

message (Jer. 36:23).

7. Jonah ().

8. The plant that God provides or

Jonah to give him shade and

then takes away, to teach: You

are concerned about the plant,or which you did not labor

and did not grow; it came into

being in a night and perished

in a night. And should I not be

concerned about Nineveh, that

great city? (Jon. 4:10-11).

9. Joel ().

10. The Hebrew words

(verav hesed) and abundant

mercy (Joel 2:13).

11. Malachi ().

12. The Hebrew letter zayin ()

blossoming rom behind a

bush, suggesting the command

(zikhru) to remember, asin Remember the Torah o my

servant Moses (Mal. 3:22).

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CBA


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The Rabbinic Period

Judaism is ounded upon law, and thereore the word

which dominates this window is Torah [B 1-3]. That

there is divine inspiration both in the written Torah and in

the Oral Torah, the Rabbinic interpretations, even when

dierent interpretations can be at variance with each other,

is expressed by the words coming orth rom the sky as

beams o light [B 4-5]: , (Eillu veillu -

divrei Elohim hayyim), Both these and these are words o

the living God (Talmud, Eruv. 13b). We see the hand o God

[B 6-7] underneath the words reaching down to earth, and

at the same time a quill and a candle reaching up. The quillrecalls the unction o the Rabbis, who began as scribes,

and the candle their devotion to the light o learning.

Dedicated to the teaching o the Torah, they ound their

authority to interpret it in the verse rom Deuteronomy

(17:11), appearing as a banner [B 7-8] under the hand and

quill: (Al pi haTorah asher yorukha),

According to the Torah you shall teach.

This period witnessed the destruction o the Temple,

symbolized by the smoke and burning and allen columns

at the bottom [B 9-10], the establishment o the synagogue,

pictured as a building with a menorah on its roo above

the shoar beside the candle [B 8-9], and the origins o the

prayer book taking the place o sacrices as the means o

worship, as signied by the open book at the base taking

the place o the allen Temple [B 11-12]. The shoar is

symbolic o the authority o the Rabbis to modiy and

interpret the law.

At the top and bottom o both side panels there are our

Hebrew words which express our o the cardinal ideals

cherished by the Rabbis:

C 1: (emet), truth.

C 12: (shalom), peace.A 1: (din), justice.

A 12: (avodah), the worship o God.

C

1

BA

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

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7. Order Kodashim (Hallowed

Things): The Hebrew word

, kosher, reerring to the

dietary laws that are dis-

cussed in Tracate Hullin in

this order, devoted to laws o

holiness.

8. Order Tohorot (Purities): A laver

washing hands, indicative o

the laws o ritual purity.

Continuing:

9. The Hebrew phrase

(vasita

hayashar vhatov), Do what is

right and good [in the sight o

the Lord] (Deut. 6:18).

Windows 10 and 11 signiy

elements o the Midrashic

Aggadah, the homiletic

element in the literatureo the Rabbis.

10. The shepherd carrying the

lamb is an allusion to the

legend that the choice o

Moses as leader o the chil-

dren o Israel was not con-

rmed until he had demon-

strated his compassion (Exod.

Rabbah 2:2-3). The same

legend occurs about King

David as a shepherd boy

(Exod. Rabbah 2:3).

11. The Hebrew word

(bereishit), in the beginning,

which is the rst word o the

Bible, with the rst letter, the

bet (), enlarged, and the third

letter, the ale (), highlightedin color. The Rabbis enquired

why the Bible begins with the

second letter o the alphabet

instead o the rst, and they

replied that the second letter

is the beginning o the word

(brakhah), blessing, or

the world is intended to be a

blessing or humanity (Gen.

Rabbah 1:10).

Continuing with Column A:

2 and 3. A depiction o the

children o Israel departing

rom the destroyed Jerusa-lem, with the Western Wall

on their let.

4. Musical instruments hang-

ing on a tree by the rivers o

Babylon, reminiscent o the

137th Psalm which mourns

the loss o Jerusalem.

5. A stylized version o the

Sanhedrin, the ancient

rabbinic council, sitting in

a semicircle debating and

interpreting the law

(Mishnah San. 4:3).

6 and 7. A parent transmitting the

heritage to a child, appearing

here as a bar mitzvah boy in

tallit (prayer shawl) and kippah

(skullcap), receiving a book.


(ulekhah

tihiyeh tzedakah), And it will

be to your righteousness

[beore the Lord your God]

(Deut. 24:13). This is another

o the phrases employed by

the Rabbis to deepen the

moral and ethical implications

o the law.

9. A pictorial description o the

method o xing the calendar

(beore it was set in perpetuity

in c. 360 CE) by announcing

each month with bonres

rom one mountain-top to

another (Mishnah Rosh

Hashanah. 2:3).

10. A banner o the Maccabees

o the Hanukkah story. Thebanner contains the Hebrew

letter mem () or Maccabee,

with the yellow menorah as

the sta.


(ki hesed

haatzti velo zevah), For I

desire goodness, not sacrice

(Hos. 6:6), with which the

Rabbis comorted themselves

upon the destruction o the

Temple.

The remainder o the side

panes refects aspects o the

Rabbinic tradition.

[column C]:

2. The Hebrew words

vehai bahemand you shall

live by them (Lev. 18:5). This

quotation rom the Bible is

used by the Rabbis to teach

that we are expected to live

by the law but not die by it

(Talmud, San. 74a).

The next six windows

symbolize the six orders o

the Mishnah, the basic legal

code o the Rabbis.

3. Order Zeraim (Seeds): A basket

o ruit symbolizing the

agricultural laws.

4. Order Moed (Set Feasts):A sheet o parchment and

quill surrounded by a shoar,

lulav, etrog and the tablets on

the mountain, signiying the

laws o the holidays.

5. Order Nashim (Women):

A ketubbah (marriage

contract), signiying laws

pertaining to women.

6. Order Nezikin (Damages):

A scale o justice with the

Hebrew word (perek),

meaning chapter but also

division, as in division o

liability, reerring here to civiland criminal law.

14

Th Middl ACBA


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The Middle Ages

This is the era o the ghettos, persecution, the burning

o books, pictured in the bottom hal o the window, but

also o the glory o the Golden Age in Spain and the

creativity o Rashi and his disciples in France and Germany.

The interaction o Judaism with both Christianity and

Islam is symbolized by the presence o Greek and Arabic

in this window as well as Hebrew. Symbolizing the infu-

ence o Rashi, the phrase [B 7] (kipshuto

umidrasho), in the distinctive Rashi script, cuts across the

center. It means: This is the plain contextual meaning

but applied interpretation is. Rashi, (Rabbi Solomon ben

Isaac, France 1035-1104) was the greatest commentator

upon the Bible and the Talmud. His primary concern was

to expound the plain meaning o these sacred texts, but

requently he enriches their message with the insights o

Rabbinic wisdom. The Golden Age o Spain is symbolizedby the word (Searad), that is, Spain, embedded in a

jewel upon a shoar urther up in the window [B 5].

The phrase [B 1-3] which dominates the window is

(Kiddush Hashem), the sanctication o the

Name o God. Such sanctication is expressed either

by martyrdom or saintliness. In Jewish thought, a lie o

saintly conduct in ones relationship to all o Gods creation

is encompassed within the denition o sanctiying the

Name. Both martyrdom and saintliness were displayed

abundantly in this era, each contributing signicantly to

the survival o Judaism.

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

15


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Looking at the side panes

[column C]:

1. The Hebrew word (ehad),

one, which reers to the

oneness and uniqueness o

God, to which this age was

aithul.

2. A torch representing the

light o learning and piety.

3. Inscribed on stones o the

Western Wall, the Hebrew

words (libi bamiz-

rah), eerring to Judah

HaLevis amous poem:

My heart is in the East, but

I am in the West.

4. Variations on the Hebrew

letter het (), which stands

or the pursuit o

(hokhmah), wisdom.

5. The two names ,, Japhethand -, Shem, upon the tab

lets are an allusion to the ab-

sorption o the culture o the

outside world into the old

o Judaism, as suggested by

the verse: May God enlarge

Japhethmeaning beauty

and let him dwell in the tents

o Shemthe Semites, that is,

the Jews (Gen. 9:27; Talmud,

Meg. 9b).

6. A kabbalistic symbol indicat-

ing the fourishing o Jewish

mysticism.

7. The word salaam in Arabic,

meaning peace (cognate o

shalom), suggestive o the

good relations between Arabs

and Jews in the Middle Ages,

and also indicative o the

many cultural contributions

written by Jews in Arabic.

8. A table, the top o which is

divided into our parts, an

allusion to the our-part

Shulchan Arukh, the

prepared table, the authori-

tative sixteenth century code

o Jewish law ollowed by

Jews throughout the world.

The our parts o the Shul-

chan Arukh are the Orakh

Hayyim dealing with syna-

gogue

practice, Shabbat andholidays; the Yoreh Deah

dealing with matters o

rabbinic instruction like the

dietary laws; the Even Haezer

dealing with amily law,

and the Hoshen Mishpat

dealing with matters o

jurisprudence.

9. Books seem to burst out o

this window, a suggestion

o the multiplicity o books

upon law, philosophy, ethics,

poetry, science, travel, etc.,

written during this period.

10. An interweaving o the letters

o , reerring to the

Baal Shem Tov (Master o

a Good Name), Rabbi

Israel ben Eliezer (1698-1760),

the ounder o the Hassidic

movement.

11. A blossoming book, symbol-

izing the Hassidic rebellion

against the book-learning o

the establishment Eastern

European Jewish elite.

12. Two dancing Hassidim,

representing the joy that

the Hassidic movement

emphasized as equally

important to study.

The side panes o Column A

represent the variety ooccupations and pursuits o

the Jews during the Golden

Age o Spain:

1. Pharmacology.

2. Alchemy.

3. Seaaring.

4. A book beginning with the

Greek letter alpha (A) and

ending with the Greek letter

omega (), the rst and last

letters o the Greek alphabet,

reminiscent o the verse rom

the New Testament: I am the

Alpha and the Omega, says

the Lord God, who is and

who was and who is to come,

the Almighty (Rev. 1:8),

reerring back to the words

o Isaiah: I am the rst and

I am the last, and there is

no god but Me (Isa. 44:6).

The window suggests the

intersection o Judaism with

the outside world, the

triumph o monotheism,

and the assertion that Jews

could demonstrate Kiddush

Hashem, the sanctication

o Gods name, through

occupational pursuits as

well as in the domain o the

synagogue and the house o

study.

5. Petty trade. This image o the

wandering Jew representsonly one means o Jewish

subsistence in the Middle

Ages.

6. Astronomy.

7. Soldiering, or perhaps service

to the state.

8. Mining.

9. Architecture.

10. A landscape suggestive o

agriculture.

11. Carpentry.

12. A hilly landscape suggestive

o viniculture.

16

Th M d E


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The Modern Era

In its classical sense, the word (Israel), which dominates this window[B 1-3], reers to the entire Jewish people. This window is dedicated to the rebirth o

the Jewish people in modern times, both in the State o Israel and in the New World.

The bottom o this window refects the Holocaust. Pane C12 depicts six candles

and is a memorial to the martyred six million Jews. Pane A12 represents the crema-

toria. At the bottom o the center panel [B 10-12], the wall and the barbed wire o the

concentration camp symbolize the agony o persecution which, beginning in the late

nineteenth century, started a steady stream o migration rom Europe to America and

Palestine. The cry (ani maamin), I believe, appearing as a prayer above the

hands o the suerers, was oered even at the gates o the crematoria as they a-

rmed their aith in the ultimate triumpth o righteousness and in the survival o Israel

[B 10]. Rooted in this aith, the varied colored tree o lie rises, nourished by Americas

call Give me your poor (Emma Lazarus) with the Liberty Bell ringing above it, and

immigrants lined up on the right orming the shape o the Statue o Liberty [B 8-9]. We

see the tree sheltering a new village, and in the branches the verse

(Im eshkekahekh Yerushalayim), I I orget you, O Jerusalem [then let my right hand

wither] (Ps. 137: 5) [B 5-6], reminding us that while America may be the goldene

medina (the golden land), it is not the true Zion. Towards the top we see the city on

the hill, here modern Jerusalem [B 3], similar to the depiction o ancient Jerusalem in

the third window (The Prophets), and down the slope o the hill emblazoned in large

blue letters [B 3-5] is the Hebrew phrase (Im tirtzu ein zo agadah),

I you will it, it is no able. These words o Theodor Herzl (1860-1904), the ounder

o modern Zionism, apply eloquently to every eort o modern humanity to build a

better world.

Except or the two bottom panes that are a part o the representation o the

Holocaust, the right side panel is dedicated to the wide spectrum o American Jewish

lie, and the let side panel is dedicated to the lie and institutions o the State o Israel.

17

CBA


19/24

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

The seals and symbols reer to

[column C]:

1. The Jewish Theological

Seminary (Conservative).

2. Yeshiva University (Orthodox).

3. Hebrew Union College

Jewish Institute o Religion

(Reorm).

4. Brandeis University.

5. UJA, the United Jewish

Appeal, now known

nationally as United

Jewish Communities.

6. The Jewish Chaplains Council

o the Jewish Welare Board

(military chaplaincy).

7. The Jewish labor movement.

8. The YIVO Institute or

Jewish Research (preserving

the Yiddish heritage o

Eastern European Jewry).9. The Touro Synagogue, the

rst synagogue in the United

States, in Newport, RI.

10. The Jewish Publication

Society.

11. Federation, representing the

concept o ederated appeals

or all Jewish causes.

Continuing with Column A, the

seals and picture reer to:

1. The Hebrew University o

Jerusalem.

2. The TechnionIsrael Institute

o Technology.3. The Weizmann Institute.

4, 5 and 6. The map o the State

o Israel with the principal

cities o Jerusalem, Tel Aviv,

Haia, Beer Sheva and Eilat.

Note: that the map refects

the boundaries o Israel inside

what is called the Green

Line, the cease-re line rom

1949 until the Six Day War in

1967. The map changed, a

couple years ater the

completion o our windows.

7. The Labor Federation.

8. The irrigation o the land.

9. The watchtower o the

kibbutzim.

10. The planting o eucalyptus

trees by the Jewish National

Fund.

11. A bird, a divided road and the

word (Eshdat). Thesesymbolize the beginnings

o the greatness o modern

Hebrew literature.

(El hatzipor), To the Bird is

the title o Bialiks (1873-1934)

rst poem. The divided road

reminds one o the essays o

Ahad Haam (1856-1927),

collected under the title

(Al Parashat

Derahim), At the Crossroad.

The Hebrew word

(Eshdat), a reerence to Deut.

33:2, may be translated

as the re o aith, thusthe window symbolizes

the revival o religious aith.

18

Th A k


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The Ark

19

The Stone

The sacred space o a synagogue

is dened by the presence o a

Torah scroll, properly housed in

an Aron Kodesh, a holy ark.

Our ark is made o Jerusalem

stone, the particular limestone

quarried outside Jerusalem and

with which the entire city o

Jerusalem is constructed by

city ordinance. When the sun

rises and sets and the limestone

sparkles we think o Jerusalem

o Gold. In a sanctuary we

orient ourselves towards

Jerusalem. Here, our ark made

o Jerusalem stone remindsus o our spiritual direction.

The Doors

When the carved wooden doors

are closed one can see the design

o a seven-branched menorah,

the most ancient symbol o Juda-

ism. The Jewish star, or Star o

David, a later symbol, is ound on

matching wooden carvings above

the entry-ways to the sanctuary.


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20

Ner Tamid

Atop the ark is the Ner Tamid, the

Eternal Light. Designed especially

or us in 2008 by the Michigan-

based artist Claude Riedel, our Ner

Tamid is a fame bursting orth in

glass in all directions. The glass is

colored at its base and at dierent

times o day the outgoing glass-

fames change colors as the light

is reracted. The design is meant

not only to complement the win-

dows but also to symbolize the

meaning o the Ner Tamid, that

Gods presence continually bursts

orth, always lling this holy place.

The Parokhet

When the doors are open, the

Parokhet, the curtain, separates

us rom the sirei Torah, the Torah

scrolls. We use a dark parokhet

or most o the year, but a white

parokhet during the period o the

High Holidays.

The Inscription

The gold-lettered Hebrew

words across the top o the

ark spell out the sentence

(Haed

haneeman lekhol baei olam),

literally, The true witness to all

who pass by in the world.

These words were written by

Maimonides (1135-1204) in hislegal code where he describes the

proper behavior beore a Torah

scroll (Mishneh Torah, Laws o the

Torah Scroll 10:11). Rather than

the standard Know beore Whom

you stand! our ark contains this

poetic phrase rom Maimonides,

chosen or its uniqueness and

or its breadth o meaning. Who

is the True Witness? It could be

God, or it could be the Torah, or

Jewish history as it spans across

the stained glass windows rom

Genesis to our modern times.

Or it could reer to us, the con-

gregation. All who pass by the

world can reer to our heritage

and history, as much as humanity,

or perhaps specically those

who pass by this particular ark.

The sentence gives us pause

to think about our relationship

with God, Torah and Israel onmany dierent levels, whether

theological, historical, or cultural.

Finally, the second hal o the

phrase, All who pass by in

the world is used in the amous

Unetaneh Toke prayer in the

High Holiday liturgy, reminding

us to be humble in our

perspective.

The Torah S rolls & Mantles


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21

Torah Scrolls

We have eight sirei Torah in

our main ark. They are all hand

written on parchment in various

styles o beautiul traditional

calligraphy. The silver pieces

resting on the scrolls are symbolic

o the respectul place that the

Torah holds at the center o

Jewish tradition. The silver yad

(literally hand), the readers

pointer, can be seen hanging

rom some o the scrolls.

The Mantles

The beautiul mantles were de-

signed especially or us in 2008

by the Virginia-based artist Reeva

Schaer. The top and bottom lev-

els o three sirei Torah each are

The Torah Scrolls & Mantles

correlated to the windows,

with each o these six scrolls

containing the Hebrew phrase

that dominates one o the six

windows. Starting at the bottom

right, the scroll mantle reads

(El Shaddai), reerring to

the rst window, The Patriarchs.

The village in the valley between

hills is meant to signiy the pasto-

ral and nomadic lie o Abraham

and Sarah, Isaac and Rebecca, Ja-

cob, Rachel and Leah. The middle

scroll mantle at the bottom

has the Tetragrammaton, ---

(Adonai), reerring to the second

window, Moses. The pillar o re

on the scroll refects the pillar o

re in the window that guided the

people through the desert. The

scroll mantle on the bottom let

has the word (tzedek), righ-

teousness, reerring to the third

window, The Prophets. The

shoar matches the shoar in the

window announcing the call to

righteousness. On the top right

o the ark the scroll mantle has

the word (Torah), matchingthe ourth window, The Rabbinic

Period. The design is a tree o

lie with the tzitzit (ringe) o a

tallit (prayer shawl) growing on

it as ruit, symbolizing the Torah

as nurturing tree. The top cen-

ter Torah mantle has the words

(Kiddush Hashem),

the sanctication o Gods name,

reerring to the th window, The

Middle Ages, with a rainbow o

colors raising our eyes upward.

Finally, the Torah scroll mantle on

the top let has on it (Israel),

reerring to the sixth window, The

Modern Era, with a stone arch

divided into twelve bricks, repre-

senting each o the twelve tribes

that make up the people Israel.

The two scrolls in the middle level

o the ark have on them the rst

two and the last two words o

the Hebrew phrase that rests in

gold lettering upon the ark. The

scroll mantle on the right reads

(haed haneeman),

The True Witness, and the scroll

mantle on the let reads

(baei olam), Who pass through

the world. Both are designs o

open gates, reerring to the name

o our synagogue, Shaarei Tikvah,

Hebrew or Gates o Hope. The

scroll mantle on the let shows

the silver moon shining down,

and the scroll mantle on the right

depicts the rays o the golden sun.

The Solomon Kaplan Bet Midrash


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22

A bet midrash is a study hall, used

or both learning and prayer. Our

Solomon Kaplan Bet Midrash

houses our library, and is used or

adult education classes, or our

bar/bat mitzvah class, and or our

weekday and smaller Friday eve-

ning services. The circular design

o bookcases interspersed with

windows is meant to suggest

how the light o spirituality enters

between and through the learn-

ing o books and devotion.

The Ner Tamideternal

light is a traditional design that

comes rom Genesis Agudas

Achim. The ark contains two ull-

size sirei Torah, and one min-

iature size that is a real Torah as

well. The two large mantles were

also designed by Reeva Schaer.

Here, one has a rainbow o colors,

while the other shows Hebrew

letters bursting orth rom a book.

The two phrases on each o

these scrolls,

(lilmod ullamed), To learn and

to teach, and

(lishmor velaasot), To observe

and to do, represent the two

primary activities that take place

in a bet midrash: studying Torah

and perorming the mitzvah o

daily prayer.

* This booklet is dedicated to the loving memory o Joan Arnow (1929-2010).

2010 Shaarei Tikvah, The Scarsdale Conservative Congregation, Scarsdale, NY. This text was prepared by Rabbi David J. Fine (Rabbi o Shaarei Tikvah 2002-2009).

The explanation o the windows is adapted rom a brochure prepared by Rabbi Aaron H. Blumenthal in 1965 (Rabbi o Congregation Emanu-El 1946-1973). Photographs by

Jerey M. Elliott (Past President 2001-2003) and Ray Karaman (Ray Karaman Photography, Pleasantville, NY). Editorial assistance: David Arnow, Carol Richards Mermey (President

2009 - ), and Je Elliott. Art direction by Corrine Kohlmeyer-Hyman (KH Partners, White Plains, NY). Printing by ADSPACE ink, New York, NY. Production o this booklet

was sponsored by Robert Arnow, and Audrey and Je Elliott.

Our Bet Midrash is named in

memory o Reverend Solomon

Kaplan (1923-2001), who served

or many years as Ritual Direc-

tor at Emanu-El Jewish Center

and Shaarei Tikvah. Rev. Kaplan,

a survivor o the Shoah, brought

a sense o love and hope to all

who were privileged to learn rom

him, whether they were his bnei

mitzvah charges or long-time

minyan-aires.

The Anna and Louis Shere

Education Wing has six class-

rooms, three o which are suitable

or younger children and three

o which can be expanded into

a multi-purpose room, suitable

or learning, meetings or smaller

social gatherings. The Anna and

Louis Shere Religious School is

named in honor o Anna Shere

(1910-), long-time member,

beneactor and ormer Trustee,

and her late husband Louis

Shere (1908-1994), who served

as President o Congregation

Emanu-El and chaired the Stained

Glass Window Committee in

1964-65.

The Solomon Kaplan Bet MidrashThe Anna and Louis Shereff Education Wing


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Shaarei Tikvah Windows Brochure 2010

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