Treasured Values

Excerpt from Personal Letter to Couple

J & A, your exquisite and personalized ketubbah is inspired by the deep Jewish values by which both of you live your lives, individually and from now on, as a couple together. When we spoke, you listed the core values around which you would like to build your home and family: tzedakah, tikkun olam, friendship, menschlikhkeit, encountering ‘the Other’, Israel, Shabbat, loyalty, peace, a good heart, the Divine Image, Torah learning, Jerusalem, and joy. Every single one of these values and qualities is reflected throughout the animated, colorful inner border. The iconography which dances off the page reflects each value.

Sandwiched between the inner and outer frames, you have a striking floral design which gives the viewer a papercut feel. I wanted to convey a feeling of openness and transparency. This serves as a bridge and connector between the two borders.

The outer border is based on the rich tradition of illumination of marriage contracts by the Afghan Jewish community (nineteenth century). One can immediately identify Afghan ketubbot by the playful acrostic of blessings that surround these artistic treasures. For every letter of the aleph-bet, there appears a word reflecting blessing: Orah, Light; Bracha, Blessing; Gilah, Joy, etc. weaving entirely around the outer frame of the work. It is my fervent hope that your relationship and family will always reflect the values and blessings inherent in this commissioned work of art. You deserve the best – always and forever.