a community-grown, libre Open Access archive of Jewish prayer and liturgical resources
— for those crafting their own prayerbooks and sharing the content of their practice
Noam Sienna is a Hebrew calligrapher, scholar, and manuscript artist, with degrees in religion, anthropology, education, and history from Brandeis University, the University of Toronto, and currently in progress at the University of Minnesota. His work explores the relationship between text, image, colour, and light, inspired by the tradition of Jewish books throughout the centuries, and with a particular focus on Jewish communities of the Middle East and North Africa. He has taught about Hebrew calligraphy and Jewish manuscript illumination to groups and individuals of all ages in both academic and hands-on settings. His graduate work in Jewish History and Museum Studies provides his art with deep roots and a commitment to seeing the past come alive again in the process.
The essential idea of the liturgy of Ushpizin is to invoke the energies of the seven lower Sefirot in the proper order, so that Shefa, blessing and sustenance, can be drawn down into the world. This is the essence of Kabbalistic liturgy, and a liturgy of the imahot would only make sense if it were to follow that pattern. That means we have the playfully serious task of finding a stable order for the imahot where no clear order exists. . . .
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