On Lost Arts
Thoughts for Parashat Vayakhel (the weekly Torah portion)
"The Torah’s insistence that we pay close attention to such details runs counter to Judaism’s aniconic bent, our anxiety about the seductive nature of idolatry and our attendant privileging of the abstract... And yet, the centrality of the Mishkan’s ephemeral details in Sefer Shemot reminds us of the value our tradition accords to experiences like the feel of dolphin skin beneath one’s fingers; the rare and regal visual delight of techelet which is the royal blue of the Mishkan and the tzitzit; the knotted beauty of acacia wood." [Read on Sefaria.]
Thoughts for Parashat Vayakhel (the weekly Torah portion)
"The Torah’s insistence that we pay close attention to such details runs counter to Judaism’s aniconic bent, our anxiety about the seductive nature of idolatry and our attendant privileging of the abstract... And yet, the centrality of the Mishkan’s ephemeral details in Sefer Shemot reminds us of the value our tradition accords to experiences like the feel of dolphin skin beneath one’s fingers; the rare and regal visual delight of techelet which is the royal blue of the Mishkan and the tzitzit; the knotted beauty of acacia wood." [Read on Sefaria.]
