Torah Ark Project

Capstone Project of Jean E. Eglinton

Completed in partial fulfillment of the requirements for ordination in June 2010.  Hebrew Union College - Jewish Institute of Religion


Yotzer Or – Who Forms Light
Yotzer Or – Who Forms Light
Space Diptych
Space Diptych
Who Lights up the Earth – Orion Nebula
Who Lights up the Earth – Orion Nebula

The Blessed God – Looking Up
The Blessed God – Looking Up
Macro Space Triptych
Macro Space Triptych
May you be blessed – Angels
May you be blessed – Angels

Holy, holy, holy
Holy, holy, holy
Micro Space Triptych
Micro Space Triptych
They offer melodies – Master of War
They offer melodies – Master of War

Who makes the great lights – Mistakes
Who makes the great lights – Mistakes
Social Action Triptych
Social Action Triptych
Cause a new light – Medical techniques
Cause a new light – Medical techniques

Who fashions the lights – Torah cover
Who fashions the lights – Torah cover

Jewish liturgy is a portal into history and thought, each prayer containing layers of theology and meaning. On the doors of the Ark I have portrayed some of those layers in relation to the morning prayer Yotzer Or, to “the One who fashions light.” The prayer opens with a quote from Isaiah 45:7, which the Rabbis have altered slightly. Though they agreed with Isaiah’s author that belief in one God necessitates a theology maintaining that trouble and difficulty have their source in God - they chose to euphemize that in prayer. God should not be reminded to cause us more difficulties. The images in the Ark are a meditation on light and darkness, anguish and joy, religion and science as reflected and refracted by the prayer Yotzer Or.