Image of the Week: The Sabbath Bride
© D. Yael Bernhard
This small brush drawing is a tonal sketch for a future, full-color painting. The sketch is twelve years old and predates the use of my Hebrew name, Yael, as the signature I use in signing my art.
The Sabbath is one of the cornerstones of Jewish tradition. The very first known use of the word "sacred" is used in relation not to an object, but to this ancient sanctuary in time: the seventh day of Creation, hallowed forever as a day of rest. Shabbat, as it is known in Hebrew, is held sacred by Jews all over the world, cherished as a time of vital reflection and replenishment, as well as a celebration of Creation itself – for according to the story of Genesis, God created the world in six days, and on the seventh day stopped to rest. We humans are created in the image of God, so we too, stop to rest on the seventh day, and to appreciate our place in Creation.
Also known as the Shechinah, the Sabbath bride was one of the very first Jewish concepts I explored in my art. The "bride" is not a real person or even a character, but the feeling of sacred time that is welcomed as the sun goes down and the Sabbath begins. She is the feminine manifestation of God in the world. God's counterpart, or bride, is the human experience of spiritual communion.
In my brush drawing, I attempted to make this special presence into a mythical feminine figure. The Shechinah is the crown at the top of a six-armed temple of time which is kindled from within by the Sabbath candles.
My sketch books, shelves, and drawers are full of rough sketches and studies that have yet to be finished. A mysterious force seems to bring some of them to the forefront, while others sink into the morass of forgotten ideas. That force is causing this particular image to rise to the surface again. Even after twelve years, I'm still fascinated by the Sabbath bride – and determined to bring her to completion. No doubt she will be in my Jewish Eye Calendar of Art next year.
Shavua Tov – a good week to all!
D Yael Bernhard