“G‑d has given me my reward.” (Genesis 30:18)
Leah's fifth son, Issachar, embodies the notion of the reward that comes from hard work. The painting takes us to the Jezreel valley in the north, where the quilted landscape shows the lush reward of the pioneers and farmers who labored to transform an arid land into a productive one. The valley unfolds before us like a scroll or a book, mirroring the role of the tribe of Issachar as Israel’s scholars and educators. Through the labor of Torah study, we harvest the richness of G‑d’s wisdom, which provides us with guidance, sustenance and direction, allowing us to see far into the peaceful distance.
The deep blues of the painting reflect Issachar’s gemstone, sapphire, which was also the material from which was carved the Tablets of the Ten Commandments, the Divine source of our wisdom and scholarship.
