MAKE THE NEW YEAR 5768 (2007-2008)
A SUCCESS THROUGH BEAUTY

by Pr. Rav Yehoshua Rahamim Dipur
Painting by Roee Suffrin
http://www.modia.org


 




I invite you to celebrate Purim in Jerusalem.
I have chosen a unique venue, which epitomizes everything we have learnt in the study below about the divine union which Esther experienced in Iran. The venue recalls Esther’s secret palace which must have been similarly filled with beautiful, rare Persian rugs, such as the Iranians themselves are trying to bring back to their country for they can no longer be produced. This wonderful venue, which is situated in the basement of No. 3 BenYehuda Street, is called Iran Bazaar. It is unknown to most Israelis as well as to visitors. Incredible but true.
There, I will have the pleasure of “seeing together with you,” for real, not virtually, the many paintings by Roee Yosef Suffrin which you admired on Modia (link). Readers from many countries around the world wrote about their reactions to Suffrin’s paintings, noting that his work aroused in them deep feelings about life, light and the essence of Jewish existence. You will also see many paintings which you do not know, and which also deal with similar, powerful themes.
People who own works by Suffrin, outside of Israel, have written to tell me that the experience they first felt as viewers on the site has remained as strong as ever in the presence of his paintings.
The opening of this exhibition, where I await you, takes place on Friday, March 21 at 11.30 in the morning on the festival of Purim. The exhibition of Roee Suffrin’s paintings will continue to be displayed in this unique gallery. Make note of the address. If you wish, you will able to acquire a Suffrin work, if it is not one that is on loan from a private collection.

 

 


We shall revise through pictures the process of preparation and self-improvement which we underwent during the holidays, from the time we began teshuva to the time of repentance and pardon which we asked for and received, to the resolutions we made, particularly that of loving our brothers.

We are one nation, a nation in which each individual is indispensable and as worthy as another: there are no super-Jews, nor super-religious Jews, nor untouchables (who are always the other). We are like the letters of a Torah scroll: each letter is as holy as the other, none is privileged and if a single letter is omitted, the entire Torah scroll is rendered invalid (pasul).
So, let us fulfill the plenitude of the entire nation: we have a lot of work to do in this respect.

We should never forget the following: even if some nations and religions have demonstrated, sometimes or often demonstrate incredible cruelty and limitless spiritual perversion,
we must never forget two important principles:
- The role of the Jewish people is to be a light, through the Torah, unto all the nations and to serve as a permanent channel for the blessing of Creation for all the nations of the world.
- Just as the Torah should be adhered to by and among all the Jewish people, we must also adhere to the teachings of the Torah in our relationships with all other nations. They themselves remind us of this in many ways: by enjoying coming to Israel for the Festival of Succot (even if their goal is ambiguous), and by demanding of us a standard of morality which they themselves do not show towards others or towards us.

There is solely One eternal Creator for all of us.

I have illustrated these positive reflections, which are essential in order to steer the nascent year, with the powerful paintings of Roee Suffrin, of Jerusalem. If these new, still available works, speak to you and if you are touched by the way they capture the powerful inner light of Jerusalem, and you wish to contact this impressive artist, contact here: oeyuffrin@gmail.com or tel 972-2-0524483461 fax 972-2-6738785

Let us always remember the sincerity and profundity of the days of teshuva (repentance/return)
when we truly discovered the essential light, the one true existence.

(Painting by Roee Suffrin. Jerusalem. 80x60)

Now, let us maintain together this perfect equilibrium
from our feet on the ground
to our entire bodies, hearts, heads and celestial antenna,
steeping ourselves directly in the spirituality of the divine love.
A song rises within us, capturing and preserving
all the strength of Creation.

(Painting by Roee Suffrin. 80x60)

Let us now advance through action
and let us be propelled by a regained creative force,
which is that of the Torah:

(Painting by Roee Suffrin. 95x64)


Henceforth, all of Creation
and every individual, professional, collective and political action
will be perceived in the true dimension of the creative Presence,
and will be so harmonious and peaceful that our gaze will be
full of beauty and goodness like that of painters.

Sublime, complete, perfect happiness.

BUT


Each person and every Jew still has to renew every day his or her total, personal combat:
in the face of the diverse propositions of the Sages, in the face of the wise, rich, and powerful,
in the face of our own wisdom, intelligence, wealth and power,
the child in us must be able to emerge,
without fear of the immensity, and without fear of our own selves,
in order to "fulfill our light".
Even more so, this is vital for the world.
I repeat what I said above: we all know that, if just one letter of a Torah scroll is in anyway damaged,
then the entire scroll is rendered invalid (pasul).
In the same way, the rebirth, every day, of the child within us is essential for all of us.
Jews regularly recite this phrase: “naar hayiti GAM zakanti …I was a child and I also acquired wisdom,”
which means that I am, simultaneously, at this very moment, a nascent child and a wise, mature person.
The challenge we must constantly meet is that of continued creativity.
To my mind, this image by Roee Suffrin, like all his other works, expresses well the continued challenge of light and its environment and its eternal victory.


(Painting by Roee Suffrin.70x50)

In Latin languages, a child ("enfant" in French) stems from the Latin “in-fans” which means he who is incapable of speech and has no right to talk. In contrast, in Hebrew a child is called yeled (walad in Arabic), which means he who is constantly “nascent.”

May the child in us be ever present this year and be nascent for ever.
Then the world will be reborn for the good of us all and all the nations of the world.
A world in which all humans are in the image of God.

God bless us! God bless every one!

Be strong and courageous !


Isaiah, ch 62, 1-7:
1. For Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest, until the righteousness thereof go forth as brightness, and the salvation thereof as a lamp that burneth.
2. And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory: and thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of Hachem shall name.
3. Thou shalt also be a crown of glory in the hand of Hachem, and a royal diadem in the hand of thy God.
4. Thou shalt no more be termed Forsaken; neither shall thy land any more be termed Desolate: but thou shalt be called Hephzibah, and thy land Beulah: for Hachem delighteth in thee, and thy land shall be married.
5. For as a young man marrieth a virgin, so shall thy sons marry thee: and as the bridegroom rejoiceth over the bride, so shall thy God rejoice over thee.
6. I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of Hachem, keep not silence,
7. And give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth.

 

Note: People ask me why I chose Roee Suffrin’s paintings to illustrate this article.

The reason is that I feel they exert on those who look at them an inner, lasting impression and they arouse and reveal in people the challenges of light and routine.
But even more so, the paintings evoke in each of us, here and now, the presence of a powerful source of light which surges out more strongly than the entire frame that surrounds them and this source mobilizes the strength of the model and that of the onlooker, connecting him to things which he thought were no more than just the stuff of daily life and enabling him to see what he did not see before – that he is the proprietor of a terrain of surging sources of life.
The presence of this radiography of being serves as a mirror for the onlooker, spurring him to say: I feel a little bit more convinced each time of the unfailing presence in me of this light.
While there are no more prophets, our tradition assures us that we are the sons of prophets, that is, of those who see and teach us to see what exists: life is infinitely more powerful than doubt. This light pinpoints the target: objective reality in more sense than one.
The role of a painter may be a humble one. But when he gives us this – particularly when it comes from a man still young of age and who does it with humility – our strengths are awakened.
I have expressed this in words.
It is his role to express it in images, and yours to feel the inner image and feeling.
He awakens in us the “Hear truly Israel: he who is the God of us all, it is He, a living, powerful unity of being. And he is ONE. So is our being in this presence.”
Let us listen then for a moment to these images of Roee Suffrin and find in them: subjects presented as simple reality, the reflective concentration of the figures, darkness, and the zone where strength and powerful joy surge forth and radiate.

More Paintings by Roee Suffrin


“Transmitting the tradition”
(Painting by Roee Suffrin)

The process of transmitting the Jewish tradition and the emotion it involves is very well rendered here and reminds me of my own experience: the bright, pure light of the young, modest man, who does not know but wishes to learn, is respectful and attentive. The ancestor whom one feels carries within him every generation going back to Moshe Rabbenu, Moses our Master. He holds himself erect, conscious of the celestial presence for whom he is only a spokesman. And between them, flickers the essential light: the light is the source of everything and it illuminates each person according to his or her nature. Finally there is the gravity of the written word, of the Book, which is handled with respect. All eyes are centered on the presence

 

“Studying the Torah”
(Painting by Roee Suffrin)

In my eyes, the power of this painting lies in the way it grasps the inner challenges faced by each of the figures. All are inclined, all are searching, each in his own direction. Each figure is respected and each will have to guess the enigma posed by the Torah and relate it to himself. Transmitting the Jewish tradition in itself is not enough. At this stage, there is no room for facile enthusiasm, there is no guru who knows everything better than anyone else. The man who possesses years of learning and the young man are in the same situation, when they open the holy text and confront the questions it raises. And the wisest is not necessarily the one who is dressed in clothes that are graded according to his level of knowledge. Reality unites all the figures in the same place and it is solid like Creation. Let us remember that we were together at Sinai and that each individual plays a vital role in the process of Creation, just like each letter of the Torah is essential in order to ensure the completeness of the holy text. If one letter is missing, the entire scroll is rendered invalid. So let us study together. And let us look more at this painting and we shall learn a lot.

 

”Reading the Torah”
(Painting by Roee Suffrin)

Again we confront the questions posed by Torah, and we do not have the option of fleeing or of fooling ourselves. Each of the figures possesses wisdom, strength, and knowledge, but suddenly, as they stand before the open Torah scroll, each one is humbled: the light which we know resides in the Torah is no longer perceptible, because of the gap between the immensity of the Torah and our limited abilities. The moment of silence that ensues is necessary in order to avoid saying inanities…….in this way everyone is put in their place.
Only the young boy dares to confront the Torah directly and demands to know. He is not part of the eminent hierarchy but his challenge is the truest. He represents the future, and therefore the present.

 


 

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