The Rabbi's Table: Genesis

The Rabbi's Table: Genesis

The Rabbi's Table was commissioned by a Temple committee to reside on the bima, an elevated platform from which Jewish services are led. And, it was to hold a loaf of  challah, the bread traditionally associated with the Jewish Sabbath.  The second function  played a more important role in commissioning a "special" table. The rabbi, after 22 years of service to his congregation, had retired and the table was to help commemorate his service.

What would/should this table look like?

A bit of biblical research revealed a passage in Exodus (Exodus 25: 23-30 ) that described the construction of a table intended to travel with the arc and to hold bread. Illustrations 1 and 2 show tables constructed following the biblical instructions.

Click for source Source of left picture;                     click for Source of right picture.

The committee wasn’t inspired by those tables and wanted something a bit different. So I offered the following sketches.

This table has nice, sculpted sides coming up from a pedestal and opening up as it approaches the top. If we think of God as being “above” then the table appears to be offering something up. And, that something could be wine or bread

  This second table has four gently curved legs opening upward, again, opening to “above”. The legs are held together with sides that contain imagery based on Hebrew characters.  There are a variety of ways of realizing that imagery.  One of the ways of doing it is through the use of marquetry, i.e., developing the images by shaping and joining different colored wood veneers

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I had used a similar marquetry technique in other pieces. This image has marquetry images of Hebrew letters and was presented to the Committee as an example. The committee liked the marquetry imagery.  And decided on two Images:  A Star of David (six pointed star) and the Hebrew word “chai” which means life.

Representatives of the Committee came to my studio to discuss the table. In the course of that visit, they saw a stool that they liked. In particular, they liked the “melted cheese” corners of the top and the open spaces or negative space formed by the aprons holding the top off over the legs. These features were incorporated into the Rabbi’s table

After some more thought and consultation with the Committee the following design was approved.

There are a couple of aspects of the design that make it particularly appropriate for use in Jewish ritual. The Star of David has been a clear symbol of Jewish faith since medieval Europe.  The second image, the “chai”, means “life” and the number 18. Maintenance of life is a primary Jewish value so the number 18 has taken on sacred significance. Jews celebrate happy events with a toast “to life”, L’chaim, and give gifts in denominations of 18. What better symbol to connect with the joy of Shabbat? The overall shape of the table also complements the initiation of Shabbat. The legs lead one’s eye to a table top and the top appears to be held up as an offering. And indeed, it does hold an offering to the celebrants of Shabbat, the traditional bread and wine used in initiating Shabbat.

The table is also intended to commemorate the service of a retiring Rabbi. I have had a personal relationship with this Rabbi throughout his 22 year tenure and there are some subtle things about the table that I think reflect the man. The symbols of Judaism are on a background of Japanese Tamo Ash. This background wood is complex, full of nooks, crannies and mini shapes. So it was with the Rabbi: Judaism clearly in the foreground but the complexity of understanding and the intricacies of interpretation were always there in support.

It was an honor and a pleasure to work on this project.

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