15a Twelve Pillars
Design: Sandy Cooper, Collins Cooper Carusi Architects
Construction: Tom Gay, Chairman Gay Construction Company
Installed 2005
Medium: Wood
The 125-seat Freeman Family Chapel provides a serene and intimate worship space for smaller services and celebrations. Echoing the canopy of trees seen through the windows, the soaring pillars that uphold this beautiful place of refuge elevate the mundane to the spiritual as they metaphorically recall the Torah — the tree of life — as described in Proverbs (3:17-18) “It is a tree of life for those that grasp and hold onto it; they will live happy and peaceful lives.” Twelve in number, the pillars also evoke the twelve ancestral tribes of Israel, of whom we are all descendants and the latest link in the chain of history of the people of Israel.
15b Ark Door
Inspired By: Sandy Cooper, Collins Cooper Carusi Architects, Rabbi Ron Segal, and Stanley Cohen, z”l.
Installed 2005
Artist: Corrina Mensoff Sephora
Medium: Forged and fabricated steel, copper, and bronze sheet metal
Gift of Stanley and Shirley Cohen
In dramatic and descriptive imagery, the book of Exodus (19:16-25) depicts Mount Sinai in flames, smoking, and even trembling, as God descended upon it in order to reveal the Ten Commandments to the people of Israel. As relayed in the text, the scene inspired tremendous awe and fear among the people who were gathered at the mountain’s foot, prepared to receive the commandments. Fittingly, this Torah passage also inspired the design of the ark doors in the Freeman Family Chapel, metal flames which climb from the mountain to the heavens. Behind the ark door and framing the curtain is another artistic metal element that features the words of Isaiah: “Kadosh kadosh kadosh – Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts: the whole Earth is full of God’s glory.”
Reflection from Eric Lang:
Since the addition of this Chapel in 2005, I’ve had the honor of leading countless children’s High Holy Day services and weekly Shabbat morning services in front of this ark. It holds a special place in my heart.
The Book of Exodus teaches that “all of the people who were in the camp trembled” at the thunder, lightning, smoke and flames on Sinai when the Torah was given to us. This ark, in this sacred space, is the one place in our own Sinai where we can all have that experience.
And on those special days where the sun shines through the window and then through the stained glass panels to the right of the ark, the flames of this Ark door burn even brighter as Adonai drenches the Chapel in virtual firelight, illuminating our computer screens and magnifying the experience of our virtual Sinai.
15c Menorah Wall Sculpture
Inspired by: Sandy Cooper, Collins Cooper Carusi Architects, Rabbi Ron Segal, and Stanley Cohen, z”l
Installed 2005
Artist: Corrina Mensoff Sephora
Medium: Forged and fabricated steel, copper, bronze sheet metal and patina, and cast glass.
Gift of Stanley and Shirley Cohen
Elements of the ark door’s design alive with flames are also captured in the menorah wall to its right, inscribed with the biblical verse from Exodus (25:31): “V’asita menorat zahav tahor – You shall make a lampstand (menorah) of pure gold.” Adhering to the dictates of the text, the artist created this beautiful lampstand of hammered work, fused together in an unbroken piece. As in the ancient Tabernacle which accompanied the Israelites in the wilderness, the seven lights shining from one continuous menorah remind the worshipper that, though our expressions of faith and prayer may be diverse, the oneness of God unites and binds us together as a community.
15d Framed Torah Mantles
Various fabrics, stitching
A significant element of Sinai’s spiritual history hangs on the side wall of the Freeman Family Chapel in the form of the original Torah covers in which five of the congregation’s scrolls were initially adorned. Framed and lit for archival and honorific purposes, several of the mantles convey the sentiments of the individuals who donated the scrolls on which they were placed; given in honor of a beloved mother, in memory of a cherished son, in celebration of a daughter’s Bat Mitzvah. Although some of the covers do not contain an inscription, each of the mantles nonetheless attests to the truly meaningful commitment and faith-inspired intentions of the people who donated them. Perhaps, they might also inspire each of us to pause and consider memories of our own loved ones and special moments in the lives of our families.
Reflection from Elise Halpern:
Temple Sinai’s Year of Torah in 2008 was a project that allowed everyone in our congregation an opportunity to write their own letter in the Sefer Torah we commissioned to be written that year. It became much more than the actual act of putting quill to parchment…we had the chance to gather together with the scribe here in this chapel a number of times to learn, everything from how the scribe actually went about writing a Torah, to mystical meanings of the letters we wrote. Families took photos around the Torah as they came together to write their own letters, creating new memories. We learned about Torah portions and biblical names and words that somehow connected with us personally, or reminded us of family members, memories of loved ones, and life cycle events. Generations connected through the Torah and created a lasting legacy for our synagogue. One thing I learned that year was the concept of “hiddur mitzvah,” the beautification of a commandment. The creation of beautifully crafted covers to protect the Torah scrolls, both the mantles currently adorning our Torahs as well as these mantles now on display in our chapel, reminds us of the beauty of memories, of connections, of our life cycle events and community. Their beauty does honor to the Torahs they protect.
