The Tree of Memories

Lithograph, 16"x20"
Limited Edition of 200
$100

Solomon Ben Judah Ibn Gabirol, the tenth century Spanish poet and philosopher wrote, "The World Is A Tree, and Man Is Its Fruit". This eloquent thought joined with the first words of the `Etz Hayyim' ("The Torah Is A Tree Of Life..."), from the Sabbath morning liturgy, were the inspiration for` The Tree Of Memories'.

The artist has chosen this immense tree as a metaphor for the collective memories of the Jewish people, for she feels that memories, like a living tree, are continually evolving, and must be kept alive; for they are essential to our physical and spiritual survival.

Beneath powerful branches sustaining our ancestral legacy, a mysterious figure, wielding a great quill, chronicles this continual evolution of events, ideas and memories in a book whose pages preserve the past, remind us of our present duties, and illuminate the future for generations yet to come.

Text & Illustrations 1995 Ilene Winn-Lederer