Stained glass windows
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur
1. Sounding of the Shofar
Central to this window are the two bound hands, the fire and the ram caught in the thicket, thus a representation of the Akeida, one of the founding stories of Judaism showing the willingness of Abraham to offer his only son when Hashem requested it. Above are shofars being sounded as this is the essential ritual of Rosh Hashanah occurring worldwide on this day. The fire is included as it is stated in Genesis 22:6 that Abraham took the fire and the knife with him ("... and he took in his hand the fire and the knife.")
2. Day of Judgement
Another aspect of Rosh Hashanah is the Day of Judgement, hence the scales, and the festival begins at the start of the month, hence the new moon. The 12 stars are symbolic of the 12 Tribes of Israel.
Central to this window are the three books. Three books are opened in Heaven on Rosh Hashanah – one for the completely righteous (The Book of Life), one for the completely wicked (The Book of Death) and one for the average persons hoping to be inscribed in the Book of Life on Yom Kippur.
In some Jewish traditions, birds represent prayers winging their way to Heaven, and the colour white is symbolic for purity. In this window there is one white dove. The number of doves, and by implication and symbolically shown, the number of prayers increases towards Yom Kippur.
An apple tree and honey are representing the traditional symbols of New Year. This stems from the belief that if sweetness is eaten at the start of the year, then sweetness will abide for the rest of the year.
At the base of this panel, I have symbolised the ceremony of Tashlich. It is considered better if the ceremony takes place over running water and even better if the water contains fish.
3. The Day of Memorial or Remembrance
At the very top of the window is a crown symbolising that Hashem is King on this day. It is in darkness and surrounded by darkness, representing the hidden and unapproachable nature of G-d.
The three doves are the three that Noah released, one carrying an olive twig which is both a symbol of peace and of Noah himself. The doves and the rainbow are also symbols of Hashem’s covenant with Noah and also follow the pattern of increasing prayers leading up to Yom Kippur.
"A memorial of our departure from Egypt" is symbolised by the parting of the waters.
4. Yom Kippur
Its biblical name indicates the perfect rest of body and soul. There is the desire for fellowship and ‘at-one-ment’ with Hashem and humanity. Each person examines their lives and, if appropriate, grants his or her own pardon. The principal purpose of Yom Kippur is repentance.
As with the previous two windows, the white birds represent prayers; in this window they reach a climax underlining that prayers for forgiveness reach a peak on this day.
As in each of the series of windows in this design, there is a symbol for the Temple in the form of an altar. In the background, between the pillars, there is the symbol for the Holy of Holies.
There is a final plea to be inscribed in the Book of Life, represented here, as in the previous window, by the green book.
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