Ani Ma'amin (I Believe)

2016 Graphite pencil on paper (C) Dion Futerman Original & limited edition prints available POR

The artwork depicts a man bent in prayer at the Kotel in Jerusalem. The Western Wall, Wailing Wall, or Kotel, known in Islam as the Buraq Wall is an ancient limestone wall in the Old City of Jerusalem. It is a relatively small segment of a far longer ancient retaining wall, known also in its entirety as the Western Wall. The wall was originally erected as part of the expansion of the Second Jewish Temple begun by Herod The Great which resulted in the encasement of the natural, steep hill known to Jews and Christians as the Temple Mount in a large rectangular structure topped by a huge flat platform, thus creating more space for the Temple itself and its auxiliary buildings. The term Western Wall and its variations are mostly used in a narrow sense for the section traditionally used by Jews for prayer; it has also been called the Wailing Wall, referring to the practice of Jews weeping at the site over the destruction of the Temples. The Western Wall is considered holy due to its connection to the Temple Mount. Because of the Temple Mount entry restrictions the Wall is the holiest place where Jews are permitted to pray, though the holiest site in the Jewish faith lies behind it. 'Ani Ma'amin' (אני מאמין) is a prosaic rendition of Maimonides' thirteen-point version of the Jewish principles of faith. The recitation consists of thirteen lines, each beginning with the phrase "Ani ma'amin be-emunah shelemah" ("I believe with perfect faith"). Many Jews recite Ani Ma'amin at the conclusion of their morning prayers. The penultimate line refers to the essential Jewish belief in the coming of the Moshiach (The Messiah). As such, this line has become a popular source of lyrics for Jewish songs.

One moment of Torah is eternal 2019 PITT oil based pencil on paper (C) Dion Futerman

The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson,

of righteous memory (1902-1994)

The title of this drawing comes from a quote by the Rebbe:

“One moment of Torah and mitzvot is eternal … for through them you are bound to the Eternal G-d, and entirely transcend the boundaries of time”.

The Rebbe was a Russian born American Orthodox Jewish Rabbi, and the last Rebbe of the Lubavitcher Hasidic dynasty. Born in 1902 in Nikolaev, Russia, to the renowned kabbalist Talmudic scholar and leader Rabbi Levi Yitzchak and Rebbetzin Chana Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson is considered one of the most influential Jewish leaders of the 20th century.

Aleph

The inspiration for this drawing came from a story told to me by a friend from the Ukraine who made Aliyah to Israel. She had approached a Rabbi and told him of her desire to live in Eretz Yisrael, but she was nervous as she knew no Hebrew. The Rabbi asked her what she did know and she replied "Aleph". The Rabbi told her she had already climbed the first rung of the ladder so had nothing to fear about the journey ahead.