Begin Again

This triptych is a response to the Genesis story, combining the expulsion of Adam and Eve, my interest in the Shmitah year, and how it reminds us of our responsibility to take care of the land. Rooted in the wisdom of Shmita and the Genesis narrative, this triptych considers cycles of rupture and restoration. It reflects on our relationship to land, responsibility, and renewal—and on the sacred ability, in both spiritual and human terms, to begin again.

I was inspired by a commentary in the Mahzor Lev Shalem: “Make our Days Seem Fresh” which is a plea for the ability to renew ourselves after moments of crisis and dislocation. Elie Wiesel remarks, “God gave Adam a secret—and that secret was not how to begin, but how to begin again.”

“Begin Again”

Acrylic and Oil on Canvas. Three panels-each 36" x 48"

The series of thee canvases are broken into:

Canvas 1: The idyllic Garden of Eden Canvas 2: Original sin (the pollution of nature) Canvas 3: After Banishment (begin again)

As a consequence of the fall, three relationships deteriorate: between God and humans, between man and woman, and between humans and the land.

The third panel represents Tikum Olam—where humankind decides to observe the Shmita year as God commands, and in doing so repairs all three relationships.