Teshuvah Return

Marleneburns©2021 Teshuvah
Teshuvah, though commonly defined as repentance, literally means to return.
It is one element of our spiritual... more

by Marlene Burns

Buy the Original Painting

Price

$1,800

Dimensions

24.000 x 30.000 x 1.500 inches

Title

Teshuvah Return

Artist

Marlene Burns

Medium

Painting - Mixed Media On Canvas

Description

marleneburns©2021 Teshuvah
Teshuvah, though commonly defined as repentance, literally means to return.
It is one element of our spiritual process, together with charity (tzedakah) and prayer (tefillah)during the ten days of repentance between Rosh HaShanah and Yom Kippur .
According to gematria (Hebrew numerology), the word Teshuvah has a value of 713.
Perhaps by design, 713 is also the number of letters in a mezuzah text.
This visual expression of Teshuvah illustrates the connection between the two.

The core of the painting with fiery oranges and blues shows the starting point
of the process of returning, with the acknowledgment of our sins.
As we do the work, the movement begins to spiral, moving upward
toward the Source, in a path of blue with metallic flowing lines.


The letter shin in the word teshuvah is attached to a golden rectangle, reminiscent of a mezuzah.
A shin, representing G-d’s name, Shaddai, is placed on the front of a mezuzah case.
Another stylistic shin is tucked into the path, as a reminder of our goal in this process.
In the image, two lines of gold and blue run through the letters of the word,
echoing the colors used for the mezuzah and the path of teshuvah.
A mezuzah, affixed to the doorpost, reminds us of G-d’s presence in our lives and our homes.
For both, we are returning to our source of strength, safety, comfort and peace.

Uploaded

October 17th, 2021