Hebrew Scroll Art Project
Festival or fast day, Sabbath or bar mitzvah: no matter how solemn or joyous the occasion, Jewish tradition honors it through the use of a Hebrew scroll. Whether you want to teach your children, Hebrew school or Sunday school class about a certain holiday, or simply want to make an innovative decoration for your mantle, a Hebrew scroll art project is a powerful and engaging solution.
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Types of Scrolls
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The most famous and significant of the Hebrew scrolls is the Torah scroll. This scroll holds a place of honor in the synagogue, and traditional Jews read from it on Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays. You can also base your project on one of the five holiday Megillot -- Hebrew for "scrolls." These scrolls include Megillat Esther, Shir haShirim (or Song of Songs), Megillat Ruth, Kohelet (or Ecclesiastes), and Eichah (or Lamentations) read on Purim, Passover, Shavuot, Sukkot, and the Ninth of Av, respectively.
Assembling the Scroll
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Draw or paint scenes from the scroll of your choice on a roll of art paper. Surround each drawing with Hebrew letters or words corresponding to your chosen theme. For example; the book of Ruth takes place largely in a wheat field, so for a Shavuot project, draw sheaves of wheat. Leave 1 inch blank at each end of your scroll, and glue each end to an empty paper towel roll covered in contact paper.
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Distinguishing Touches
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Crumple the paper and stain it with a cool, damp teabag before drawing, to make it look antique. Add glitter to your drawings or make the first Hebrew letter of each scene larger than the others, and outline it with small, shiny beads. Close the scroll by rolling the paper towel rolls toward one another and tie them together with a ribbon.
Displaying the Scroll
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Place the scroll on a shelf and unroll it so all the drawings can be seen at once. Alternatively, you can make a scroll with a scene from each of the five Megillot and unroll it partially, showcasing a different section for each time of the year. You can also enclose the scroll in a special cloth cover and write the name of the scroll in Hebrew on the outside.
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References
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