Image of the Week: The Song of Serach

© D. Yael Bernhard

This painting from The Jewish Eye Calendar of Art illustrates a story that is rare indeed – one in which tragedy and loss turn to elation and reunion.  Life is even restored to the dead – at least, as far as the bereaved are concerned, as the Biblical Jacob and his sons discover that Joseph, long believed to have perished, has been alive all along.

The story comes from the Midrash – tales from Talmudic literature that flesh out stories in the Torah – and the bearer of good news is Serach, daughter of Asher, the eighth son of Jacob.  As an elder, Jacob has long grieved the death of his most beloved son, Joseph, the love child of his union with Rachel.  The twelve sons of Jacob did not always behave well, and Joseph's brothers conspired to get rid of their favored sibling once and for all by throwing him into a pit.  They stained his garment with the blood of a goat, and brought it to their father as evidence of Joseph's demise.  In those days, to be devoured by a wild beast was not uncommon.

Seized by remorse, Joseph's brother Judah argues for Joseph's life, and the brothers lift their little brother from the pit – only to sell him into slavery.  Joseph is carried away to Egypt, where he works his way up by using his natural intelligence, wit, the high self-esteem bestowed upon him by his father, and God's favor – until he works for the Pharaoh himself as chief advisor and viceroy of the land. 

Back in Cana'an, a famine has struck, and Jacob's sons travel to Egypt in search of food.  There they are received and recognized by Joseph, who hesitates at first to reveal his identity, but eventually does so, to the astonishment of his brothers.  Joseph sends for his father, and the brothers return to Jacob with the impossible news that Joseph is not only alive, but thriving in Egypt, second in command and overseeing the storage of grain and management of the land through the long years of drought and famine.

How does one break such miraculous news to a very old man?  If the brothers were astonished, their frail and elderly father could perish from the shock.  Enter Serach, Jacob's soft-spoken granddaughter.  According to the Midrash, she takes up her lute and approaches him from behind, whispering a gentle tune in the old man's ear:  "Joseph is alive . . . my uncle did not die . . . he lives and rules all of Egypt . . . " 

Two images were necessary to illustrate this moment: the vision of Joseph in Egypt that Serach articulates in her song, and the context in which the song is being sung.  I used two different scales to depict the story within the story.  One scene arises from the other, coiling up from Jacob's awareness, his expression just beginning to change from sorrow and resignation to wonder and joy.  His beloved son, dressed in Egyptian garb, reaches toward him.  Also unfurling in this vision are the huts along the Nile and the peasants and slaves of Egypt – all drawn on a smaller scale to separate them in time and space.  

The illustration is painted in a restricted palette, with an underlying "brush drawing" first done in brown acrylic – raw umber, to be exact, the color I use up most quickly.  I tend to favor earth tones, the color of soil, the sepia tones of old photographs, the warm hues of clay.  Muted mauve and violet were enough to complete this palette.  I felt the image should be suggestive, like those old children's book illustrations that left much to the viewer's imagination.  I didn't have much choice, as I had limited time to work on this painting.  

For her compassion and grace, Serach is said to have been granted an exceptionally long life, beyond the lives of her kin to the time of Moses, through the entire Exodus, and on to see the crowning of King David hundreds of years later.  It is even implied that she lived forever, and walks today in the Garden of Eden.

The Song of Serach is painted in acrylics on handmade watercolor paper.  The original is for sale; please inquire if you would like more information.

You can find The Jewish Eye 5783/ 2023 Calendar of Art in my webstore or on Amazon.  I hope you will consider purchasing this unique collection of art and writing as a gift for someone you love.  You definitely don't have to be Jewish!

A good week to all –

  
D Yael Bernhard
http://dyaelbernhard.com
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