Exhibition ‘Alef Bet’ in the synagogue of Groningen

From 9 September to 4 November 2018 I exhibited 11 works on the first floor of the synagogue in Groningen.

The theme ‘Alef Bet’ makes clear that it is about the letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The participating artists incorporated the letters into widely varied artworks. My challenge lay in the letter ‘lamed’. The months leading up to the exhibition were an adventurous time. I immersed myself in the form and meaning of this letter. The basis for this piece is the curled neck of an old mandolin. Above it are two curved shapes of coloured glass, and at the bottom two twisted sticks, each with a green bead. For working the glass in the neck I travelled to Denmark, to the glass studio of Helle Vyftrup.

The meaning of the letter lamed. Unlike ‘our’ Latin letters, which are written on a line, Hebrew letters hang beneath a line. Our letters are earthly letters; they stand firmly on the ground and are there to describe earthly matters. The letters of the Bible are heavenly letters; they hang from an imaginary line and describe spiritual matters. One of those Hebrew letters rises above that line; the primus inter pares, the first among equals, it pierces through and, as it were, makes a connection with heaven. It is the letter lamed. Lamed has to do with learning and teaching. Biblical learning is aimed at getting to know God, at gaining heavenly insight. Learning is seeking God’s guidance. And He reveals Himself by speaking; creation begins with God speaking: God said, “Let there be light.” Through its form the lamed symbolises that revelation from heaven. The lamed is the middle letter of the alphabet; it stands at the centre among the other letters. The other letters are, as it were, in the service of learning, of God’s revelation. Together with the lamed, all the letters of the alphabet share that purpose: making God known. Just as the lamed has a central place in the alphabet, learning must also be central in our lives.

The letter lamed is also an ox goad, a prod for driving oxen. It urges you to follow the right track, to go the right way. That is the function of a teacher and of the revelation of God.