Genesis

Explanation:

I created the menorah and the landscape from a number of Jewish symbols, but let’s start from the beginning. The source from which I began the work was the word ‘Bereshit’ (‘Genesis’), which means a starting point, an origin. It is a word that I associated with the story of my life, a story with struggles and self-search, exploration in a busy sea and with many winding (tumultuous) roads. A story that has a starting point, a complex continuation and an end.

I heard at the time that the letter ‘ב’ (English for “B”) in the word ‘Bereshit’, which is actually the first letter in the Bible, is composed “as if” from “כ” (English for “K”) with a tip (like ‘apostrophe’), and we can see that the tip is the starting point and it opens (the source of) two paths, which are the two lines (upper and lower) that make up the continuation of the letter. This can also be considered as two opposites – an upper path and a lower path; or as a branching of the main path. In this way, I thought that this branching could be continued into what looks like a phylogenetic tree, a tree that develops (or roots), just as the creation of the world was a story that developed and branched – as it is said: “In six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the seas and all that is in them.” And he blessed the seventh day, and hallowed it: “And the LORD blessed the sabbath day, and hallowed it” (Exodus 20:10).

Later, from a state of automatic work (muse), I partially abandoned (perhaps this can be seen as “mistakes”) the original idea (note: I continued it after finishing this work) by thinking about the possibility of writing the word ‘Genesis’ many times and arrange it as a brick wall is being built. In this way, “many bricks of Genesis” that are white (or empty/transparent) would fill the word ‘Genesis’, roughly as exists in the babushka doll (hereinafter, ‘stuffed Genesis’). After that, many ‘stuffed Genesis’ would fill the letter ‘B’ that I continued into the 7-branched menorah.

From this Menorah 7 flames emerge (from the 7 “candles”) and unite into one large flame consisting of the letters ‘reshit’ which is a continuation of that ‘B’ and thus, together, they reconstructing again the word ‘Bereshit’. That menorah is made of silver (the “official” way in which sacred vessels were and still are made) – This can also be seen in the fact that the menorah is made of blackened silver (dark or aged) and that the 9th branch (in the middle – The “shamash“) is made of whitened or polished and shiny silver (not aged). In this way, the shamash symbolizes the center/the Creator, and the light silver indicates “purity” – as it is written: “from darkness to light”.

Next, I chose to create a Star of David (✡) in a special shape placed on a mountain, which simulates a stable object or fulcrum (base or lever) on which that menorah will be placed. The structure of the Star of David is built from a very strong base of steel that has been rusted for an aged effect (perhaps we can liken this to the style of Eiffel Tower construction).

All this against a bluish (azure, light blue) background.

Thus, as I began, the work consists of a number of Jewish symbols which are:

הסבר בעברית (מקור):