Musings from Students of the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem
Posted on March 2, 2011 by Coretta
Hi, Guys!
I worked on Panel 3 of the Pardes Tu B’Shvat Mural, and I wrote up the following description:
This panel was created with the “Universal Ecosystem” aspect of Tu B’Shvat in mind.
I attempted to convey the earliest moments before distinctions first appear even before liquid and solid (top of panel) and then, (towards the middle) the world as we know it (rich and varied) is delineated from the chaos. Adam (The primordial human, before woman and man were separated out) appears and begins to separate into Adam and Chavah, and then into many different individuals.
In the Jewish Model of creation, this early, universal Adam, is the earliest ancestor of all human beings on earth, and is given the responsibility to work and guard the universal ecosystem. To reiterate the very universal-Tu B’Shvat point: the responsibility to balance the protection and the cultivation of the earth belongs to HUMANKIND, that means us. The seed beginning to sprout, sheltered by the loins of Adam/ Chavah and their multitudes is this tender realization.
The spirals are present because they are a shape that can be found in nature everywhere from microscopic to galactic proportions. Therefore the spiral is a potent symbol of universalism and the Divine, in Judaism (the Shofar) and across human culture; an excellent example of humans working to create art and tradition inspired by the miracle of the natural world.
