An Illumination Of Blessings: New Review!

A new Imaginarius post will appear in the next few days, but for now here are two bits of news:

First, this lovely gift of a new review arrived in my inbox today from The Jewish Book Council: http://www.jewishbookcouncil.org/book/an-illumination-of-blessings?A=SearchResult&SearchID=24017253&ObjectID=8702674&ObjectType=35

For those of you who are not familiar with it, An Illumination Of Blessings was published in 2014 as a Kickstarter-funded project.The illustration above is from the book  for the Havdalah ceremony blessings. You can learn more about it here: http://magiceyegallery.com/BookPage.aspx?id=1

In addition, I’ve been invited to be part of the Stray Book TV Pittsburgh Authors Episode on Tuesday, December 22nd, 2015 to present my book, An Illumination Of Blessings (Imaginarius Editions, 2014)! An interview with Q&A and book signing will follow. If you are in town and would like to attend, please rsvp here:

http://www.sstraypublishing.com/stray-book-tv.html

 

 

Bit O’News: Saatchi Online Gallery

 An Illumination Of Blessings is progressing nicely with the Blessing After Meals (Birkat Hamazon) now on the drawing table. I should have it ready to post by early next week. So stay tuned!

I’m also pleased to let you know that thirteen of my selected works from other venues can now be seen at the Saatchi Online Gallery where they can be directly ordered as digital prints:
http://www.saatchionline.com/profiles/portfolio/id/480661

Catch you later!

For An Illumination Of Blessings: A Blessing For Here & Now

For my Kickstarter backers of An Illumination Of Blessings and all readers of  Imaginarius, here is my interpretation of the Shehekhiyanu blessing for your viewing pleasure. The following explanatory text is from my Update page at the Kickstarter site:

Most of the twelve months of the Jewish year are distinguished by a day or more of holiday observance and/or a major festival that preserves and celebrates our history and culture while bringing them forward to our present and future. Although the liturgy for these holidays addresses them individually within their duration, there is one blessing called the Shehekhiyanu that is traditionally recited during candle-lighting on the evening preceding each of the major holidays and festivals with the exception of holidays that commemorate sad or tragic events such as Tisha B’Av.

The Shehekhiyanu is the tenth blessing that I have completed to date. It is a blessing of thanks in acknowledgement of special occasions and life-cycle events such as weddings and bar mitzvot. It is also appropriate for new or unusual experiences such as tasting a first fruit in season, meeting an old friend, or acquiring a new home or clothing. ‘Shehekhiyanu’ is Hebrew for “Who has given us life” (and brought us to this moment). This blessing originated in the Mishnah and is cited in the Talmud, the collections of Jewish laws, interpretations and observances set down after the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in the year 70 CE (of the Common Era).

My interpretation of the Shehekhiyanu blessing is relatively straightforward, showcasing symbols of the Jewish holiday cycle which are clockwise from the top: Tu B’Shevat, Purim, Passover, Lag B’Omer, Shavuot, Rosh Hashanah, Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret, Simchat Torah and Chanukkah. The commentary at the conclusion of An Illumination Of Blessings will detail the significance of each holiday symbol. This ‘cycle of life’ is supported between the sun and moon in reference to the Hebrew lunar-solar calendar that determines when each holiday begins and ends. In this system, the year corresponds with the solar calendar and its months match the lunar calendar.

For those of you that missed the funding deadline, but would still like to have a copy of the book or gicleé prints from the illustrations, don’t fret. You can visit this link to place pre-orders for the book and to specify which blessings you would like to have made into prints: http://winnlederer.com/blessings/index.htm

It’s back to work for me now onto the next blessing! As always, your questions and comments are welcome!

Kickstarter Update #8: A Blessing For Body & Spirit

Dear Backers and Imaginarius Readers,

Today,  for the eighth update on my Kickstarter project, I have posted the ninth of the thirty-six blessings that will comprise my book, An Illumination Of Blessings. With the illustration above, I’ve chosen to interpret the Mi Shebeirach (May the One Who Blesses). A full explanation on the visual symbolism in this illustration will be in the book’s commentary. But for now, here is an excerpt:

The Mi Shebeirach is recited for those in need of healing, whether spiritual, physical or both. The first recorded appearance of this blessing/prayer was in the 12th century French prayerbook, The Vitry Mahzor compiled by the Talmudist Simcha ben Samuel of Vitry. It’s original intention was to petition for the well-being of the  community and indeed its essence is preserved in the Amidah, as one of the set of prayers recited three times daily. But in recent times, in Reform and Conservative practices it is recited after the Torah reading and includes names (usually their Hebrew names) of specific individuals in need of healing by those praying on their behalf.

As I thought about the significance of this blessing/prayer and why it has changed over time, I realized that the Mi Shebeirach also tells us that we must partner with the G-d Who is The Source of Life by participating in our own recovery or in that of a loved one(s) to the best of our ability, whether it be through seeking medical intervention or by recognition of an ailing spirit that can manifest as physical illness. Forgiveness of oneself and/or others is one of the elements at the core of this process. Although the future outcome of serious illness is often unclear and sometimes all we can ask for is strength to endure, I feel this blessing  speaks for all of us living and working together as community to understand the bigger picture of life and our role in it.

For those of you and those within your extended circle in need of healing, I  wish you a full and speedy recovery of body and spirit.

Kickstarter Update: An Illumination Of Blessings Is Happening!

After many months mixed with that potent sauce of hope and worry, I am pleased to let you know that (with my heartfelt thanks to all of you generous and supportive backers), my Kickstarter project, An Illumination Of Blessings now has the green light to get real!

If you’ve followed my updates here and at the Kickstarter site, you’ll have seen several of the first group of blessings in progress. I will continue to post new work as it develops both at the Kickstarter site and here in addition to Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and several other media sites.

Completed to date are the following blessings: HaMapil (Blessing for Sleep), Asher Yatzer (Blessing The Wisdom of The Body), Netilas Yadaim (Blessing For Washing The Hands), Kiddush (Blessing For Wine), Blessing For Lighting Sabbath Candles, Havdalah (Blessing For the Conclusion of The Sabbath) and T’filah HaDerech (The Traveler’s Prayer).

Tonight, I have posted my interpretation of the Shema blessing. This powerful, essential prayer is recited three times daily to define Judaism as a monotheistic religious practice. You can look forward to a more detailed commentary on the significance of this blessing and the symbolism in this drawing that will appear in the completed book.

For those of you that missed the funding deadline, but would still like to have a copy of the book or gicleé prints from the illustrations, don’t fret. You can visit this link to place pre-orders for the book and to specify which blessings you would like to have made into prints: http://winnlederer.com/blessings/index.htm

It’s back to work for me now onto the next blessing! As always, your questions and comments are welcome!

Kickstarter-Final Update #6: An Illumination Of Blessings: The Blessing Of Words

Dear Backers and Backers-To-Be:

Well, we’re in the last stretch of this Kickstarter project at 72% funded with 22 hours to go. Not surprisingly, these are significant numbers. 72 represents twice’double chai’ or a very generous measure of good fortune, while 22 are the letters in the Hebrew alphabet/alephbet by which all Creation came into being. In the ancient system of Gematria or Hebrew numerology, interpreting numbers is seen as the key to our understanding of the Divine Will. Accordingly, every Hebrew letter is embedded with its numerical equivalent and spiritual significance. For example, the number 18 is the sum of the letters in the word ‘chai’ or ‘life’ while 36 doubles that value for a blessing of all good things to come.  So today, for my final update of this project, I present to you two new illustrated Hebrew alphabets, Rimmon (Pomegranate) and K’Shutiy (Ornamental). I will be employing these original calligraphic alphabets throughout the book and I hope you will enjoy them as much as I do when I create them.

If you have not yet pledged your support at this point, please do so at this link: http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1330347473/an-illumination-of-blessings

Throughout the development of exciting new work for this Kickstarter campaign, I’ve realized what a labor of love this book will be and truly hope that with your help, we can bring it to life as a significant portion of my artistic legacy for generations to come.

Wishing you Peace and Blessings,
Ilene