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SHIVITIA shiviti, which can also be called a Mizrach, is based on
the verse, "I have set (shiviti) the Lord always before
me. (Psalm 16:8)" In the 18th and 19th centuries many elaborately
decorated contemplative paintings were made to aid in devotion.
This tradition was continued with the help of Jerusalem artist
Gitti Koschland and her Houston agent, Holly Cinn
Background This shiviti was designed to express the spiritual mission
of Maqom. In the center, you see the menorah and the tree of
life it symbolizes in the background. It is contained in an etrog,
the symbol of fertility and joy associated with Sukkot. The "pitom",
the tip, of the etrog is the word Shema, "Listen!"
The stem is the word kadosh, "Holy." These words are
equivalent numerologically, both equaling 410. Thus, we learn
to balance intellect and study (listening to the texts) with
ceremony and ritual (kadosh, kadosh, kadosh which is associated
with early Jewish mysticism and the Temple). The edge of the
etrog is the Shema and v'ahavta. Above each word of the v'ahavta
is a small letter. The forty-two words of the v'ahavta correspond
to the forty-two-lettered name of God. When one knows this name
of God and how to use it one is, according to the Kabbalah, able
to change reality.
This is a psalm of arrival and happiness. This is not about
the journey but about the rest and harvest that are its goal.
Sometimes, we just have to sit still and enjoy the moment. Rav Nahman said to Rabbi Yitshak: What [is the meaning of
what] is written [in Scripture], "The Holy One is in your
midst and I will not come into the city (Hosea 11:9)." [Surely
it cannot be that] because the Holy One is in the midst of you
I shall not come into the city! He said to him: Thus said Rabbi
Yohanan: The Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'I will not enter
Jerusalem above until I can enter the Jerusalem below.' Is there
then a Jerusalem above? Yes, for it is written, "Jerusalem,
you are built as a city that is compact together. (Psalm 122:3)"
(B. Taanit 5a) 1. Try meditating on this shiviti for a while. Does it open
any gateways to spiritual connection? How do you feel about this material? Please send us your insights by e-mail to maqom@compassnet.com. Thanks! Build Your Mitsvah Portfolio | Current Study Passage | Join the Discussion | Maqom Supporters | Individualized Intensive Learning | Annotated Bibliography | Previous Study Passages | A Talmud Tale | Jewish Texts: The Owner's Manual | The Tefillin Gift Shop | Guided Meditations | The Maqom Journal | Art | Links | Home | About Rabbi Abrams Maqom: A Place for the Spiritually Searching admits students
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Close-up of Bottom
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Shema