Word as Image - Week 2: Tzadikim in a Broken World (Noach 2024/5785)

The very first verse of the Parsha Noach tells us that Noach was a righteous man, blameless in his generation. 

In his 2024 AJS podcast on the parsha, Rabbi Daniel drew on the medieval French rabbi Rashi  to explore what it means to be a righteous person. Is righteousness innate, or is it relative to one's context? Rabbi Daniel went on to explore the concept of the tzadik, drawing on teachings from Tanach, the Zohar and Hasidic masters such as the Ba’al Shem Tov and the Me’or Einayim.

These teachings immediately captivated me - the assumption of underlying, innate human dignity, of agency, of teshuvah, and of the possibility of being able to do my small part (as opposed to being overwhelmed by the mess of the world). 

The patterned papers used in this piece suggest a modern cityscape inundated with rain. This made sense to me, both because of the Biblical flood which sits at the heart of the parsha, and because of the various contemporary allegorical inundations that we all face. Umbrellas (metaphoric or not) do provide shelter from the downpour. Cerise pink makes for a fabulous in-your-face contrast to the oppressive greyness of constant rain. What a wonderful visual analogy for those beautiful Hasidic teachings about protection from being swept away in the deluge.

Chana-Toni Whitmont

Parsha Noach 5785/2024

“Tzadikim in a broken world”  is part of the Word as Image project which comprises more than 50 weekly visual midrashim to be published here over the year 5787. Click Word as Image to find out more about this project.   

---

Chana-Toni Whitmont is a collage and mixed media artist, crystal sound practitioner, creative, writer, wanna-be calligrapher and curious questioner whose practice and passions are born from her spiritual connection to her Jewish lineage and the ebbs and flows of its calendar cycle. She lives on ancient Bidjigal, Birrabirragal and Gadigal Country (also known as Bondi), on the Pacific coast of Australia.

She can be contacted through the AJS Members WhatsApp Group or at twhitmont@gmail.com