Paint the Torah

On October 10th, over 40 Metro Detroiters safely gathered at the Eastern Market Art Park to Paint the Torah. The event, in celebration of Simchat Torah, was hosted in partnership with muralist Daniel Cascardo. Working together, The Well’s executive director Rabbi Jeff Stombaugh and Cascardo designed a 20-inch tall by 20-foot long canvas inspired by different quotes of Torah, from each of the five books respectively.

B’reishit is the first book of the Torah and starts at the beginning - like the very beginning of the cosmos. This is an invitation to examine what YOU think about how the universe came into existence and our place in it. Yeah, the big questions.

There is a teaching in the Jewish tradition that in one of our pockets we should have a piece of paper that says: “The world was made for me,” and in the other pocket a paper that reads: “I am a speck of dust.” Both statements are valuable to consider, and true. Because while on one hand you are the center of your world, you are also a fleck of stardust in the very real - and very expansive - cosmos. 

‘Exodus’ is actually not a Hebrew word. In Hebrew, the word is Shemot, which literally means ‘names’. It’s a book all about identity, who we are as a people and who you are as a member of that nation. That is what this passage is all about - that you are a member of this community. Period. 

At the end of the story of the 10 plagues, the Hebrew slaves plunder the Egyptians’ stuff and leave Egypt with “a great mixed multitude” of other people. Who are these other people? Well… everyone! Egyptians certainly, as well as others oppressed by the Egyptian cultural and economic systems. The Hebrews who would later become the Israelite nation and the Jewish people were a diverse array of people of varying cultures and belief systems.

As it goes in the Torah, God or The-character-of-God-as-portrayed-and-described-in-the-book-of-Leviticus or The Force or The Great Mysterious Consciousness of the Cosmos - says many times that He/She/They (sorry, I don’t know God’s preferred pronouns) are holy and therefore we (you, me, and the birds) are holy. What does that mean? 

In Hebrew the word ‘holy’ means to separate, like to separate one thing from another and thereby make distinct, or special. That is the basic move for making something holy - separate and elevate. Think, raising a glass for a toast or blessing. Or, lighting candles or setting a beautiful Shabbat table to elevate the moment. So this mandate - that you are holy because God is holy - brings our attention to the undeniable truth that you are a distinct, unique, and beautiful person. You?? Yes. You!! 

Okay, this quote really requires some explanation. Who is Zelophehad? Who are his daughters? And why should you care? In short, this is an (approximately) 3,500 year old story of feminism and economic justice. #OGRGB  

The abstract: “Zelophehad died in the wilderness and since he only had daughters, there was no one who had the legal standing to inherit his wealth.” And remember, this is the Bible - where the patriarchy was born, and there was no law or precedent for a woman to acquire such inheritance. So, Zelophehad’s daughter went to the highest court (Moses and God) to get a ruling, and they ruled in their favor! Why? Because they spoke truth to power, and their cause was just. 

Think about all the choices you make in a day and imagine that before every choice you flipped a coin. One side means you would make the choice that brought life, love, abundance, joy, health, and purpose. And the other side means you would make any other choice, that’s within your rights and nothing to be ashamed about. Moses is imploring us to rig a trick-coin where both sides choose life.

Now, imagine how your choices would be different during the course of a day if we used that coin. Note, that this passage lives at the end of the Torah. The narrative assumes that we’ve read and digested this ancient and beautiful story about being connected to something larger than ourselves, embracing others, pursuing our highest selves, and speaking the truth, so that you can make your mark on the world with authenticity, consideration, and love. 

As part of our #BuildTheWell fundraising campaign, we are holding a drawing for one of these five pieces of canvas from Paint the Torah. For every multiple of $18 invested in The Well, one entry will be added (for example, $54 = 3 entries, $180 = 10 entries). To invest in The Well and enter the drawing, click here.