Image of the Week: Building a Sheepfold
© D. Yael Bernhard
Meet Ya'akov. He is working under the hot sun, moving rocks into place to build a sheepfold. The year is 70 CE, and Ya'akov is the first character in my picture book The Life of an Olive, which chronicles 2000 years of the life of an olive tree, from the first to the twenty-first century.
Ya'akov has fled on foot from the flames of Jerusalem, where Roman soldiers have just destroyed the Second Temple, decentralizing Judaism and causing new houses of study and worship – known as synagogues – to sprout up all over the land. Though fictitious, Ya'akov's character is based on real people who settled in the Galilee in this pivotal time, brave and determined men known as tanna'im – the first generation of rabbinic sages who replaced the priests of the Temple, while study and prayer replaced ritual sacrifice. The tanna'im interpreted and clarified the commandments of the Torah in an enormous compilation known as the Mishna.
Yet I also imagined Ya'akov as a man who worked the land, tended his flocks, and lived close to the pulse of nature. I based my character on an Israeli olive farmer I met named Michah, who lives near Nazareth. Michah was both intellectual and earthy, both erudite and unkempt. It was easy to imagine a man like him living in ancient times, for Judaism itself embraces paradox and complexity.
The Life of an Olive was published two years ago here in the States. Now it is being translated into Hebrew, as part of my efforts to get the book published in Israel, where the story takes place. I traveled there four times to research this book, and worked on the writing and art for many long months. It's a great thrill to see the words I wrote translated into Hebrew – a language I love and have been slowly learning for several years. I have a long way to go – but my vocabulary now includes words like olive, olive press, trunk, branches, leaves, shepherd, farmer, and harvest. There is even a special word in Hebrew just for the olive harvest!
I did not receive an advance for this book, so to save time, I worked in watercolor pencils before applying paint. Drawing is always faster than painting. The result was a little sketchier than most of my books, but it seemed appropriate for a work of historical fiction in which many details had to be either imagined or suggested.
As Ya'akov works, his foot presses a fallen olive into the earth. It will take almost two years for the olive pit to sprout. Perhaps next week, I'll introduce you to the young olive tree – and Ya'akov's daughter.
A good week to all!
D Yael Bernhard