Image of the Week: Winter Menorah
© D. Yael Bernhard
Chanukah starts early this year – just two weeks from tomorrow evening, on November 28th. I offer this image early as a reminder that it's not too late to order The Jewish Eye Calendar of Art as a holiday gift, either for Chanukah or Christmas. The stories I illustrate and themes I draw upon are universal. Each year I sell many calendars before Christmas. If you have not yet ordered my calendar, please consider giving it to someone you know who appreciates art – and help support my work as an artist and writer.
Though the holiday hasn't started yet, here in the Catskill Mountains winter is closing in. Traditionally Chanukah is not associated with winter. The miracle of the oil for which the holiday is known comes from the season of the olive harvest – autumn in the Middle East, dating back to when the Seleucid Greek empire invaded Jerusalem in the second century BCE, brutally oppressing the Jewish people and defiling the Temple. When a small band of fighters known as Maccabees liberated the Temple and rededicated it by lighting a menorah, a small jar of olive oil – only enough for one night – miraculously lasted for eight nights – long enough for newly-harvested olives to be pressed into oil. Thus the four Hebrew letters on the dreidel, a special spinning top used during Chanukah – form an acronym for the phrase "a great miracle happened there."
Olive oil sustained life in many ways in ancient times. Apart from lighting lamps, it anointed kings, provided an essential source of fat; fruit for pickling; oil for cooking and cosmetics; wood for carving; leaves for medicine; mash for burning; shelter for animals; and more. No wonder olive oil became a symbol of renewal and rededication.
Similarly, the menorah has always stood as a tree of life. Throughout the ages, this "golden lampstand" – modeled after an almond tree according to God's instructions in the Book of Exodus (ch. 25, verses 21-40) – has manifested in endless creative ways, in every culture where Jews have lived. The Jewish Museum in New York and the Israel Museum in Jerusalem both have dazzling collections of chanukiyot from all over the world – from North Africa to Persia, from Mexico to China, from Eastern Europe to South America. I thought: why not create a tree of life that speaks to the seasons of North America, and holds within it the promise of spring? For here in the northeast, Chanukah marks the beginning of winter. My bare tree is topped with flames instead of leaves, and is a vessel of renewed light. As we adjust to daylight savings and turn toward the darkness of winter, it's important to remember the light will return – the animals will awaken from hibernation – the bare trees will blossom again – the bees will pollinate – and the sun will bring the earth back to life.
Today Chanukah has come to symbolize not only the return of light but also freedom of religion, freedom of expression, the right to national independence, and the importance of honoring Jewish history and identity. Modern Israelis look to the Maccabees of ancient times as models of these values, symbolized by the Chanukah menorah.
For me, connecting Jewish tradition to the cycles and seasons of nature brings me joy as an artist. I also enjoy expressing a paradox in visual form: like yang within yin, darkness contains the potential of light; winter contains the promise of spring; and the deep rest of winter gives rise to the activity of summer. Judaism is full of the tension of opposites, and so is the natural world.
The Jewish Eye 5782/2022 Calendar of Art is available in my webstore and on Amazon. If you're local, you can also find it at the Tender Land gift shop in Phoenicia, NY.
A good week to all!
