A Beautiful Torah Honors a Beautiful Mother
Synagogue: Tel HaShomer Rehab Hospital’s Chapel
Location: Ramat Gan, Israel
Challenge: A stylish mother should be meaningfully commemorated with a posh Torah mantel brimming with Jewish symbolism.
A FAUX LEATHER TORAH MANTEL
As soon as Mikael R. approached me regarding this Torah mantel, I knew I was dealing with someone who understood style and elegance. This “Shivat HaMinim- Jerusalem Gate” happens to be one of my favorite designs, one that took weeks of planning and trial and error to perfect. B”H, Mikael had a few style requirements for this unique Torah, which we implemented in the most prestigious way possible.
Mr. R. was very concerned that the mantel should be created on the most elegant material possible. Velvet- the embroidered judaica classic- was just not ‘it’ for him. After spending quite some time sourcing high-quality faux leather, I found just what we were looking for at Elite in Tel Aviv. Elite is a posh fabric boutique, providing upholstery and drapery materials for wealthy Israelis. I can usually find exactly what I’m looking for there. Maria showed me about thirty different real and faux leather styles and I went for a tight-ish texture.
GOLD AND SILVER ONLY
As for the embroidery threads and colors, Mr. R. wanted gold and silver only. German-made Madeira metallic was my thread of choice as it’s internationally renowned as the worldwide standard of excellence in embroidery threads.
My digitizer did an incredible job of blending the dark gold, light gold, light silver and dark silver in the gradient that extends throughout the entire passuk. Even the 5-mm border surrounding the design is a subtle gradient of dark to light gold threads.
HONORING HIS ELDERS
What about the dedication text? What started as a relatively short Hebrew dedication eventually took over 1/3 of the front and the entire back of the mantel. When asked if this was perhaps not too much, Mr. R. was adamant that honoring as many relatives as possible was the right thing to do.
B”H, everyone involved in the production process- the suppliers, the embroiderer, the seamstress- was thrilled with the final product. It’s not every day they create such an elegant faux-leather Torah mantel!
THE REHAB TORAH
Now on to the Hachnassat Sefer Torah:
Honestly, I’ve been zoche to participate in many exciting Hachnassat Sefer Torahs, but this was one to remember. Mr. R. and family decided that the most meaningful way to honor their mother would be to dedicate a new Torah to a Rehab hospital’s chapel. The venue of choice was Tel Hashomer- Sheba’s Rehab Hospital in Ramat Gan, Israel.
Judging by these photos, it’s obvious that the many wheelchair-bound inpatients- many of whom are victims of terror- were deeply touched by the Hachnassat Sefer Torah. The Hachnassa’s organizers’ sensitivity to every downtrodden Jew at the hospital made an enormous Kiddush Hashem. It’s not every day that a mehudar new Sefer Torah is brought to their bedside for them to kiss.
How was this venue chosen among the thousands of worthy synagogues in Eretz Israel? Months earlier, Mr. R. had expressed his wish to Rabbi Levi Djian of Chabad New York of dedicating a sefer Torah to a truly meaningful cause in Israel.” When Rabbi Djian consulted with Rabbi Menachem Kutner of Tzeirei Chabad, the unequivocal answer was ‘Tel HaShomer-Sheba’!