Snippets — jewish papercut art
Mamash. The reality of Jewish art.
definition of mamash in hebrew hebrica jewish art jewish papercut art kim phillips mamash in talmud what does mamash mean
On my first trip to Israel, to study at Pardes, I kept hearing this word mamash. My street Hebrew being pretty limited, I couldn't quite figure out what mamash means. Turns out that, like most Hebrew words, mamash can mean a lot of things. In the Talmud, it means "literally," as in the Gemara to Bava Kamma 83b, which asks why not take literally (mamash) the Torah's eye-for-an-eye rule? In modern Hebrew, mamash can also mean literally, actually, or very, depending on the context. Mamash also has the sense of reality in a tangible way. For me, as a Jewish artist,...
Giving light.
hebrew name hebrica jewish papercut art judaic art judaica kim phillips Rabbi Meir talmud
When asked to create a papercut for the Hebrew name "Meir," the challenge was on... how to "illuminate" with paper a name that means "creator of light?" In my head, I saw the blue of the daytime sky contrasting with the dark of night, and rays of fiery light bursting through the darkness. "Let there be light, and there was light." (Gen. 1:3) The recipient of this piece shares a name with one of the most revered sages of the Talmud, Rabbi Meir. It is thought that his name was given to him later in life for protection and because he...