This Torah cover was created for Kehilat Hadar. It was created to depict the richness of the community. The two intertwining trees reflect the core structure of the Torah scroll: two atzei-hayim, or “trees of life”, which are the wooden pillars that hold the torah scroll together. Just as the trees on the Torah cover support one another, they represent the support provided by the Hadar community, brought together by Jewish ideas and traditions.

The two trees bear pomegranates and etrogim. Rashi explains that the etrog is the only fruit which remains on the tree from one season to the next. Therefore, an etrog tree has well-ripened fruit from years past, co-existing with newly budding fruit from the current year. This as a metaphor for an ideal community. We all bring to the community our ripened fruit, the experiences and ideas we have developed in the past, our patterns and rhythms which define us. The challenge is to be open to new ideas and experiences without rejecting the ripened fruit of our past. A pomegranate, according to midrashic literature, has 613 seeds corresponding to the 613 mitzvot; it is a fruit eaten on Rosh Hashanah to infuse our new beginnings with a commitment to mitzvot.

Designed by Daniel Braunfeld, Michal Richardson, Michal Shinnar, and Farell Diamond