The Torah Windows

Commemorating The Five Books of Moses
for the Washington Hebrew Congregation

THE DEUTERONOMY (DEVARIM) WINDOW
In addition to being Moses’ summary of many aspects of the previous four books, Deuteronomy (Devarim) contains Moses’ plea to the Jews to keep the Covenant that God made with them. He begins the Song of Moses by calling on the heavens and the earth (the Creation) to bear witness to his plea: “Give ear, O heavens, let me speak; Let the earth hear the words I utter!” For this reason the “Creation circle” in the Genesis (Bereshit) Window is reintroduced in this window.

Moses addresses each tribe one by one and evokes God’s blessings on them. This is represented by the lenses that issue from the Dichroic circle that symbolizes Moses in the lower right of this window. As the lenses move out from Moses, one finds its way to each of the twelve “sub-bands” that represent the twelve tribes.

Unlike the Dichroic circle that represents Moses at his birth in the Exodus (Shemot) Window the Dichroic circle that symbolizes Moses in this window is ringed with white and red Dichroic glass. This contrasts the young Moses, who plead his inadequacies to God before his commissioning, with the God-filled Moses at the end of his life.

Moses has now passed completely through the amber band of the twelve tribes since his birth as shown in the Exodus (Shemot) Window. It is as if the amber band that has represented the Jews since their odyssey began is now leaving Moses after his death at Mount Nebo and moving up and out of the window finally towards the Promised Land. This continuation of the People to the Promised Land is indicated by the crossing the border at the extreme right and continuing beyond the view of the window.

The two Creation circles along with the opalescent, dark amber glass that “scrolls” across all five windows symbolize the Books of Moses, the Torah, as the written record of this dramatic and powerful story God’s Chosen People. Usually seen in an upright position, the Torah is here represented as it would appear when viewed from the end, partially unrolled.

click above image for a larger view

INTRODUCTION

THE GENESIS (BERESHIT) WINDOW

THE EXODUS (SHEMOT) WINDOW

THE LEVITICUS (VA-YIKRA) WINDOW

THE NUMBERS (BE-MIDBAR) WINDOW

THE DEUTERONOMY (DEVARIM) WINDOW