Art Guide
For each song in our playlist, we offer an example of contemporary Israeli visual art that connects with the themes and narrative of the lyrics. This adds another dimension to your exploration of each song while enriching your familiarity with Israeli art and culture.
Artwork: The 4 Mothers Who Entered Pardes
Artist: Siona Benjamin
Siona Benjamin is an artist with roots in Israel, India and the United States. Her work is a kaleidoscopic hybrid of cultures and ideas, offering new insight and meaning to each component while at the same time emerging as a unified, unique composition.
Utilizing colors and motifs common to classic Indian culture, Siona presents a feminine re-telling of the rabbinic “Pardes” narrative.
Thoughts from the Artist:
“The four (biblical) mothers Rachel, Sara, Leah and Rebecca, become the four matriarch rabbis who enter Pardes. They emerge triumphant in spite of the challenges, showing strength in their feminine grace. Until all children are safe, none are safe. Mothers will find it within themselves to make everything happen.”
The four matriarchs are presented each in their own panel. Siona describes the panels (left to right):
Rachel Dies
Rachel weeps for her children and refuses to be comforted (Jeramiah 31, verse 15). She weeps for her banished children who are going into exile. Just before she dies she foresees the future of the Jewish people, the bondage in Egypt, the Holocaust. She sees into the future very clearly.
Sara Goes Mad
Sara goes mad as any mother would when her only child, her only son, is taken by his father Abraham to be killed. They never see her again and then she dies.
Leah Cuts the Sprouts
Leah is weak of sight. For Leah having so many children was not enough. She loses her faith at first but then she finds strength within herself. She becomes complete for the sake of her children. She sees with her heart and not just with her eyes. In spite of being the “Acheret,” the other, she finds the strength to find her place.
Rebecca Comes Out Whole
When Rebecca was pregnant with twins (who fought while still within her womb), she asked God, “If thus why am I?” If the nature of reality includes suffering, then what is the point? Her answer from God was that nothing is ever perfect. Rebecca accepts the imperfection of life and paradise. She is the only one who can ascend and descend (between paradise and this world) in peace.
And Now You
- What kind of Pardes (orchard/heaven) do you see in this work? What does this world look and feel like?
- In what ways does the change in gender, from men to women and the change from Rabbis to mothers, change the Pardes story?
- How does the interweaving of Indian cultural motifs into a classic Jewish story change its meaning for you?
- In what way does this rendition of the Pardes story fit or clash with Ehud Banai’s version in the song? Which resonates more for you, and why?
Visit Siona Benjamin’s website to see more of her work: www.artsiona.com
Visual Art
Artwork: The 4 Mothers Who Entered Pardes
Artist: Siona Benjamin
Siona Benjamin is an artist with roots in Israel, India and the United States. Her work is a kaleidoscopic hybrid of cultures and ideas, offering new insight and meaning to each component while at the same time emerging as a unified, unique composition.
Utilizing colors and motifs common to classic Indian culture, Siona presents a feminine re-telling of the rabbinic “Pardes” narrative.
Thoughts from the Artist:
“The four (biblical) mothers Rachel, Sara, Leah and Rebecca, become the four matriarch rabbis who enter Pardes. They emerge triumphant in spite of the challenges, showing strength in their feminine grace. Until all children are safe, none are safe. Mothers will find it within themselves to make everything happen.”
The four matriarchs are presented each in their own panel. Siona describes the panels (left to right):
Rachel Dies
Rachel weeps for her children and refuses to be comforted (Jeramiah 31, verse 15). She weeps for her banished children who are going into exile. Just before she dies she foresees the future of the Jewish people, the bondage in Egypt, the Holocaust. She sees into the future very clearly.
Sara Goes Mad
Sara goes mad as any mother would when her only child, her only son, is taken by his father Abraham to be killed. They never see her again and then she dies.
Leah Cuts the Sprouts
Leah is weak of sight. For Leah having so many children was not enough. She loses her faith at first but then she finds strength within herself. She becomes complete for the sake of her children. She sees with her heart and not just with her eyes. In spite of being the “Acheret,” the other, she finds the strength to find her place.
Rebecca Comes Out Whole
When Rebecca was pregnant with twins (who fought while still within her womb), she asked God, “If thus why am I?” If the nature of reality includes suffering, then what is the point? Her answer from God was that nothing is ever perfect. Rebecca accepts the imperfection of life and paradise. She is the only one who can ascend and descend (between paradise and this world) in peace.
And Now You
- What kind of Pardes (orchard/heaven) do you see in this work? What does this world look and feel like?
- In what ways does the change in gender, from men to women and the change from Rabbis to mothers, change the Pardes story?
- How does the interweaving of Indian cultural motifs into a classic Jewish story change its meaning for you?
- In what way does this rendition of the Pardes story fit or clash with Ehud Banai’s version in the song? Which resonates more for you, and why?
Visit Siona Benjamin’s website to see more of her work: www.artsiona.com
