“Shehecheyanu,” acrylic on rice paper & birchbark collage, © D. Yael Bernhard
Shehecheyanu is a Jewish blessing that is recited as an expression of gratitude upon arriving at an important milestone. It could be anything from setting foot on the earth in Israel for the first time, to buying a house, to reaching the summit of a mountain. Traditionally, Shehecheyanu is recited on major holidays such as Rosh Hashanah, Passover, and Shavu’ot, and on the first night of Chanukah. When we feel the great wheel of time turning, we acknowledge it by blessing the Creator that has granted us life, sustained us, and led us to this special moment.
The Hebrew word itself translates to an entire phrase: Who Has Given Us Life.
Arriving at a moment in time signifies the meeting of past and future in the ever-vanishing present. Here is where Judaism explores the concept of impermanence – for the blessing reminds us of how quickly these pinnacle moments in life slip away. For me this idea suggests patchwork terrain, a field of experience, which an arrow that symbolizes time may pass through. Two arrows are shown here representing the past and future, passing through the fabric of time to meet in the center – the present moment. The curvilinear shafts of the arrows transform the colored squares as they pass through them. In sketching this idea out in pencil, I did not plan for the two arrowheads to form a magen David (Star of David), but I was pleased that they did.
This sort of diagram-like image is inspired by the work of such artists as Paul Klee, who created minutely-detailed schematic designs that represent all kinds of dynamics. Klee has been a big influence on my work. The concept of an architecture of time is familiar to all Jews, as the Sabbath is the pinnacle of the Seven Days of Creation, in which God creates the world in six days and then rests on the Seventh Day, marking this day as sacred time. I love exploring these concepts and forming them into images! This particular idea could manifest in several ways.
Laying down the patchwork for this painting was incredibly fun. I invented this technique years ago of creating a collage of hand-torn rice papers and birchbark as a painting surface. I start by glueing the scraps down on a piece of matboard. Once the collage is dry, I can paint on top of it, accentuating the contrast among the different fields, or blending them together. What emerges is entirely different from what a painting on a plain solid background would look like. The background “evokes” the outcome. I imagine this is somewhat like what it must feel like for a singer to dub over herself with a second, harmonizing track. The second phase relates to the first phase in a way that becomes more than the sum of its parts.
This is the last painting in the new The Jewish Eye 5785/2025 Calendar, marking my own personal celebration of arriving at a special moment: ten years of publishing this calendar! The calendar begins this month, September 2024, and goes through the thirteen months of the Hebrew calendar, ending in September 2025. It’s hard to believe I’ve been doing this for a whole decade! Tens years of illustrating and writing about diverse Jewish topics has yielded a collection of over 100 works of art. I am truly thankful that I’ve been able to do this – and grateful to each and every person who has supported the calendar by purchasing it year after year, giving it as gifts, writing reviews on Amazon, and reading about it in this newsletter. Some of my buyers have become friends, while others send friendly correspondence.
There’s no end to the inspiration that may be mined from Jewish tradition. Ours is a history that is richly diverse, deeply complex, tragic and hopeful, cultural and spiritual, familiar and esoteric. I could go on creating new images forever – indeed, I’ve already sketched out some of my ideas for 5786. Time is passing quickly! The Shehecheyanu blessing reminds us to appreciate what we are given along the way – life itself, sustenance and guidance – and not to take it for granted.
Shehecheyanu is the image for September 2025 in The Jewish Eye 5785/2025 Calendar of Art. The calendar makes a great gift for the New Year. The Jewish Eye is available in my webstore ($20.95 including shipping), on Amazon ($18), and locally at the Tender Land giftshop ($18) in Phoenicia, NY – directly from me. All the images may be viewed in my webstore.
The original painting of Shehecheyanu is for sale. Please inquire for details if you’re interested.
Rosh Hashanah 5785 begins on the evening of October 2nd. Thank you for taking this journey with me, and for arriving at this moment. To all my Jewish readers, Shana Tova U’Metukah – wishing you a good and sweet New Year!
A good week to all!
D. Yael Bernhard
https://dyaelbernhard.com
Have you seen my other Substack, The Art of Health? In addition to being a visual artist, I’m also a certified integrative health & nutrition coach with a lifelong passion for natural food cooking and herbal medicine. Now in its second year, this illustrated newsletter explores cutting-edge concepts of nutrition. I strive to make relevant information clear and accessible, and to anchor essential health concepts in unique images. Check it out, and if you like it, please subscribe and help spread the word. Your support keeps my work going!