Enya Keshet

To order please email artist at enya@i-judaica.co.il or call +972-77-327-1438 Shipping free Hadara, Beauty of Women's Prayer, book, limited edition $5400
909. Plate 9: The Bride's Blessing to the Groom The bride's prayer is attributed to the Magid of Kuznitz. She prays that she and her groom merit a long and happy life together is placed on a micrography carpet consisting of Psalms 45, 46, 139 and 140, which are traditionally recited at this time. The border contains a traditional prayer said by a wife asking that her husband merit a long and healthy life filled with wealth and dignity, that he always remain loving and faithful to her, that there be love and friendship between them, and that they see the fulfillment of the priestly blessing. May you merit a long life and may I merit to live with you forever, together united in love from now until the end of our days. Measures Matted: 35cm x 48cm, 13.75" x 18.90" Limited edition of 200 Accompanied by a printout of the commentary and translation of the prayer Price: $200.00 Code: 909
Plate 10: Prayer for Pregnancy The prayer for pregnancy, originating from Sefer Mitzvat Nashim, Italy, 1801, is surrounded by Psalm 23, traditionally recited in times of need. The design derives from a Central-Asian ketubah and has rounded silhouettes of floral elements reflecting the curve of a pregnant body nurturing clusters of fruit, symbolic of the baby to be born. In the center of the border is the verse "Guard me like the apple of Your eye; hide me in the shadow of Your wings" (Psalms 17:8). Measures Matted: 35cm x 48cm, 13.75" x 18.90" Limited edition of 200 Accompanied by a printout of the commentary and translation of the prayer Price: $200.00 Code: 910
Plate 17: Prayer before Returning to the Synagogue The Bible tells us that after childbirth, a mother should bring a sacrifice to the Temple. This idea is expressed in the prayer said upon her first appearance in the synagogue after childbirth. The joy and festive atmosphere of this event are expressed here with a burst of vivid color. The prayer comes from "The Prayer Book for the Married Woman", written for Yehudit Kutcher Coen, Italy 1786 (5546), which is kept in the library of the Jewish Theological Seminary, New York. Measures Matted: 35cm x 48cm, 13.75" x 18.90" Limited edition of 200 Accompanied by a printout of the commentary and translation of the prayer Price: $200.00 Code: 917
927. Plate 27: Tehinnah for a Woman Prior to Torah Study Commentary and Translation: The Talmud mentions a prayer that the scholars would say before entering the House of Study, asking for God's help and protection in the fundamental religious experience of studying Torah. For generations, women did not participate in formal education, attaining religious education at their mothers' knee. In the last century, the Hafetz Hayim opened the doors of formal Torah study to women, and the result has been an explosion of advanced learning for women at all levels. This first woman's tehinna before Torah study, written and translated by Yael Levine, reflects the new contemporary reality. The illumination suggests a gateway into the extended Hall of Study.
900A. Plate A. All the Women of the Bible The top page, a paper cut, consists of the names of the Four Mothers and two quotations from Proverbs praising women. The wisest of women builds her house. (Proverbs 14:1) He who finds a wife has found happiness. (Proverbs 18:22) On the base page are the names of all 115 women mentioned in the Bible, in the order in which they appear. Measures Matted: 35cm x 48cm, 13.75" x 18.90" Limited edition of 380 Accompanied by a printout of the commentary and translation of the prayer Price: $380.00 Code: 900A
900B. Plate B. Woman of Valor Eshet Hayil are the first two words of the twenty-two verse poem with which King Solomon concludes the Book of Proverbs. The initial letters of each line form an acrostic of the Hebrew alphabet. The color of the squares highlighting the initial letters gradually moves in twenty-two steps through the spectrum of the primary and intermediate colors, beginning with red, moving to yellow, then to blue and returning to red. This cycle serves as a metaphor for the spectrum of womanly virtues. Measures Matted: 35cm x 48cm, 13.75" x 18.90" Limited edition of 200 Accompanied by a printout of the commentary and translation of the prayer Price: $200.00 Code: 900B
901. Plate 1 Hannah's Supplication The opening of the Book of Samuel tells the story of Samuel's mother, Hannah, who suffered terrible anguish as a result of her inability to bear a child. The rabbis viewed Hannah's prayers as the paradigm for private prayer, and the Talmud derives from Hannah's model various principles as to the form and content of our prayers and the manner in which they are to be recited. Hannah prayed in the Holy Tabernacle, the seat of Eli, the High Priest. The illumination of Hannah's Prayer is a reflection of this setting. The twelve stones of the hoshen, the High Priest's breastplate, have been set in the border as pieces of women's jewelry. Also included in the border is a menorah, a fixture of the Tabernacle, and later of the Temple, and a Jewish star broken in two, symbolizing Hannah's broken heart. The branches within the border represent the fulfillment of Hannah's prayer: The buds at the bottom of the page move outward and upward and are transformed from buds to leaves, to flowers, and finally to fruit at the top. The text around the border quotes the Talmudic passages which deal with the characteristics of prayer, as derived from Hannah's prayer. Measures Matted: 35cm x 48cm, 13.75" x 18.90" Limited edition of 200 Accompanied by a printout of the commentary and translation of the prayer Price: $200.00 Code: 901
902. Plate 2: "... Who made me according to His will" The top box of this plate contains the text of the morning blessing recited daily by women: Blessed are You, O Lord, King of the universe, Who made me according to His will. The text in the surrounding border quotes the biblical descriptions of the creation of woman. The first chapter of the Bible presents the general description, "God created man in His image, in the image of God He created them, male and female He created them." The second chapter gives a more detailed description of how woman was created from man's body. The two columns that "support" the blessing are taken from the rabbinic midrash that elaborates on the biblical descriptions. Measures Matted: 35cm x 48cm, 13.75" x 18.90" Limited edition of 200 Accompanied by a printout of the commentary and translation of the prayer Price: $200.00 Code: 902
908. Plate 8: Mother of the Bride The prayer, a traditional Yiddish tehinah, recited by the bride's mother features a huppah, wedding canopy, at the center. The huppah consists of blue stripes, reminiscent of a tallit, prayer shawl, and vine branches and grapes, one of the seven Biblical species. The grapes have an association specifically with wine, which is used in the wedding ceremony, and, more generally, with the idea of fruitfulness. Grapes appear again, in thin ochre ink, in the border design. At the top of the page appears the blessing given to Boaz on the occasion of his marriage to Ruth, and at the bottom appear the verses of the priestly blessing. The appropriate match of the bride and groom is alluded to in the saying which appears toward the bottom of the page. The entire design is bordered by a braided chain, or rope, symbolizing the covenant of marriage and the bond of the family unit. Measures Matted: 35cm x 48cm, 13.75" x 18.90" Limited edition of 200 Accompanied by a printout of the commentary and translation of the prayer Price: $200.00 Code: 908
912. Plate 12: Prayer during Pregnancy The prayer during pregnancy, taken from the book "Shaarey Dim'a" by Shmuel ben Yehoshua Zelig, Jerusalem 1849 edition, is surrounded by a micrographic carpet design constructed from circular shapes invoking the image of the protective and nurturing walls of the womb. The text Nishmat kol chai, the praise that all living things give to God, is a celebration of all life. Measures Matted: 35cm x 48cm, 13.75" x 18.90" Limited edition of 200 Accompanied by a printout of the commentary and translation of the prayer Price: $200.00 Code: 912
914. Plate 14: The Midwife's Prayer The women who helped women bring their children into the world knew that they needed the support and assistance of the True Midwife, the Holy Creator of Life. This midwife's prayer is ensconced in a womb-shaped protective shell. The gentle flesh-shaded petals release rimonim, pomegranates, a traditional sign of bounty. The micrographic border presents the midrashic discussion on the first Hebrew midwives, those who were commanded by Pharaoh to kill all newborn Jewish boys, but instead saved them from death. The prayer comes from "The Prayer Book for the Married Woman", written for Yehudit Kutcher Coen, Italy 1786 (5546), which is kept in the library of the Jewish Theological Seminary, New York. Measures Matted: 35cm x 48cm, 13.75" x 18.90" Limited edition of 200 Accompanied by a printout of the commentary and translation of the prayer Price: $200.00 Code: 914
916. Plate 16: Prayers after Childbirth and before First Nursing The prayers after childbirth and before nursing for the first time are surrounded by ornaments constructed of continuous lines. The lines symbolize the continuity of the mother's care throughout the child's life, beginning now with the first nursing. These prayers come from "The Prayer Book for the Married Woman", written for Yehudit Kutcher Coen, Italy 1786 (5546), which is kept in the library of the Jewish Theological Seminary, New York. Measures Matted: 35cm x 48cm, 13.75" x 18.90" Limited edition of 200 Accompanied by a printout of the commentary and translation of the prayer Price: $200.00 Code: 916
918. Plate 18: Hannah's Prayer of Thanksgiving Hannah's prayer of thanksgiving (Samuel I 2:1-10) upon the birth of the child for whom she yearned is surrounded by a light blue border which evokes the tranquility of water and sky. The border is filled with a background of pomegranates and medallions of the seven species with which the Land of Israel is especially blessed, symbols of bounty and fertility. In addition, the border contains the verse "It was this boy I prayed for and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him"(Samuel I 1:27). Hannah's prayer expresses the notion that the Lord can reverse fate. This is expressed in the illustration by the clockwise rotation of the decorative elements within the blue square; while the quotations read counter-clockwise. Measures Matted: 35cm x 48cm, 13.75" x 18.90" Limited edition of 200 Accompanied by a printout of the commentary and translation of the prayer Price: $200.00 Code: 918
921. Plate 21: On Raising Children The theme of the page for the prayer on raising children is taken from the Talmudic story in Masekhet Taanit (5B) of the blessing Rabbi Yitzchak gave Rabbi Nachman. There was a man who was travelling through the desert. He was weak, thirsty, hungry and tired. He came upon a tree growing on the banks of a stream. The traveller partook of the tree's sweet fruits, drank from the cool stream that ran beside it, and found comfort under the shade that the tree's branches provided. When the traveller had regained his strength and was ready to continue his journey, he turned to the tree, and wishing to show his gratitude for all that the tree had done for him exclaimed, "O, Tree, O Tree, how can I bless you? I could bless you that you should have sweet fruits, but behold, you already have sweet fruits. I could bless you that you should have water running beside you, but behold, you already have water running beside you. I could bless you that you should have branches with which to provide shade, but behold, you already have branches to provide shade. As such, I bless you that all of your offspring should be just like you". So, too, do I bless you: May all your offspring inherit all your fine qualities. Measures Matted: 35cm x 48cm, 13.75" x 18.90" Limited edition of 200 Accompanied by a printout of the commentary and translation of the prayer Price: $200.00 Code: 921
922. Plate 22: Prayer for Bat Mitzvah A rising sun above the prayer for a girl reaching the age of Bat mitzvah calls to mind the elevation of the girl to adulthood. The colors reflect her youth and childlike innocence. Pirkey Shira, which is recited by women every day of the week, is found in the micrography. Measures Matted: 35cm x 48cm, 13.75" x 18.90" Limited edition of 200 Accompanied by a printout of the commentary and translation of the prayer Price: $200.00 Code: 922 Plate 23: Mi eco en mi Kama - I lie in my Bed
925. Plate 25: Un in Zchut fun Miriam HaNeviah - In the Merit of Miriam the Prophetess After the parting of the Red Sea, Miriam the Prophetess led the women in songful praise to God for the great miracle that had occurred. The marine blues and greens, as well as the breaking waves, create images of sea and water. In the smaller text box: A Talmudic discussion of where we find that Miriam was a prophetess. Measures Matted: 35cm x 48cm, 13.75" x 18.90" Limited edition of 200 Accompanied by a printout of the commentary and translation of the prayer Price: $200.00 Code: 925
926. Plate 26: Prayer for Agunot - Chained Women The subdued blue tones express the dejection of the agunah, the chained woman who is fettered by the bonds of an unhappy marriage from which her estranged husband refuses to release her. The illumination of this page, lacking a border or framework, reflects the fragile emotional and physical state of the woman trapped in a life lacking the warm and supportive framework of marriage and denied the hope of release from this situation. The text, asymmetrically placed along one side of the page, conveys the compelling desire for freedom. This prayer was composed by Shelly Frier List. Measures Matted: 35cm x 48cm, 13.75" x 18.90" Limited edition of 200 Accompanied by a printout of the commentary and translation of the prayer Price: $200.00 Code: 926
928. Plate 28: Prayer of the Hevra Kadisha Solemn blue and black evoke the atmosphere of the work of the Hevra Kadisha, the Holy Society, the volunteer fellowship of people who perform the ultimate kindness of preparing the dead for burial. They clean and dress the deceased and escort him or her to the gravesite. When they finish preparing the body for burial, they offer the following prayer on behalf of the deceased, and addressing the deceased by name, ask forgiveness for any indignity that might have occurred in the courseof preparation. The accompanying artwork is based on a Lisbon Book of Lamentations. Measures Matted: 35cm x 48cm, 13.75" x 18.90" Limited edition of 200 Accompanied by a printout of the commentary and translation of the prayer Price: $200.00 Code: 928