Sheva Brachot שבע ברכות (Digital Mixed Media (Illustrator and Acrylics)
Sheva Brachot features the moment of joy, celebration and the ongoing power of love expressed in the liturgy. The two trees symbolize the knitting together as one strong intertwined entity.
Sheva Brachot שבע ברכות literally means “the seven blessings.” They are the real heart of the Jewish wedding ceremony. These wedding blessings are spoken under the chuppah as well as at the end of each of the week long dinner parties. The source of this custom of a week of festive dinners is found in Gen 29:27, where we read the account of the seven days that followed Jacob and Leah’s celebration.
The sheva brachot are taken from the pages of the Talmud (Ketubot 8a.) In the seventh century it was tradition to recite the blessings at the groom’s house, and at the house where the bride had spent the night previous to the marriage. Today, they are spoken under the Chuppah during the formal marriage ceremony. The blessings begin with the kiddush over wine but increase in intensity in their imagery and metaphors.
The number seven in “sheva brachot” also brings to mind the seven days of creation. Poetic echoes of creation and paradise abound in the blessings, as does the age-old yearning for return to Jerusalem. Significantly, the final blessing culminates with imagery of the entire community singing and celebrating with the bride and groom, reminding all present that the couple standing under the chuppah is a link in the chain of Jewish continuity.