Tree of Life, Etz Chaim

About Tree of Life, Etz Chaim

The Tree of Life, called in Hebrew, Etz Chaim, is a common symbol found in many cultures across the globe. In the Jewish tradition, the tree often symbolizes the Torah as the entity that ties Jews to their common pasts, presents, and futures. With roots driving deep into the ground and arms grasping towards the sky, the Tree of Life expresses the human desire to be both anchored in tradition and history while also reaching for higher forms of knowledge and meaning that will always remain just beyond our clasp.

When I began to paint Etz Chaim about two decades ago, I drew inspiration from the painter Gustav Klimt, who used resplendent golds as well as whimsical and organic spirals to convey both the majestic and spontaneous dimension of the natural world and the universe beyond. While there are several references to the Tree of Life in Jewish liturgy, I like this short excerpts from Proverbs 3:18, “It is a Tree of Life to those that hold fast to it and all who cling to it find happiness. Its ways are ways of pleasantness, and all its paths are peace.”

Many of the Etz Chaim featured here are seven-branch menorahs, comprised of seven central limbs—in other words, tree becomes menorah! The seven-branch menorah is the most ancient symbol found in the archeological record where the first Israelites appeared in what is now known as the Middle East. The seven-branch menorah, often found on the bimah of most synagogues, symbolizes the seven days of creation, the last of which is Shabbat—a sacred day of rest that is a central mitzvah asked of Jews by the Torah. The number seven signifies the cyclical dimension of nature and time as well as ideas of peace and serenity.

Many Etz Chaim presented here bear eighteen pomegranates that symbolize the life force, luck, abundance, mitzvot, and dignity. The Hebrew word for life, Chai, is comprised of letters that together, make eighteen according to Kaballistic gematria. In turn, the pomegranate is a symbol found in countries throughout the Mediterranean that signifies abundance and fertility. The pomegranate is also said to contain 613 seeds, representing the 613 mitzvot asked of Jews in the Torah. The pomegranate also signifies the regal dimension of nature; in the pomegranate, we see a little crown sprout atop a piece of ruby red fruit.

In painting #15 in this gallery, the Tree of Life is wrapped with a tallit, a Jewish prayer shawl. The tallit depicted here is a path, representing a life-long quest for truth and meaning. The tallit is generally worn during morning prayers by adults. This painting is a wonderful gift for a Bat or Bar Mitzvah as it is often on this day that a young woman or man receives their first tallit.

Glossary of Hebrew/Yiddish Terms