As we head to our next Simcha Torah, passing through the new year and all its reflection: here is one of mine: I took on the personal assignment of doing a drawing a week of the 54 parshot for Martin to distribute. It has been fun and a challenge and an opportunity to get closer to Torah. But as I head to the last 7, I must admit these images are mostly surface and just touching the edges of the depth one could go and can go into the teachings. It took me almost 5 years to complete my first set of responses and allowed me to stay with certain drawings developing my connections. This set is being done much faster and is what my grandparents called a “farshbite” – an appetizer. Just a taste and if any images stirred you to go deeper than these drawings have been of use. In this parsha Moses has our people, our tribes, us, split in half – why that half? – with 6 tribes going to the top of Mount Gerizim which is verdant and productive and in the drawing I added the tree of life with the sephirot pattern lifting that side higher; and on the other side – the other 6 tribes – all their colors reflecting the particular tribes – and on this Mount Ebal the ground is barren, rough, with one failed tree – here suggesting the negative aspects of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil which is also the realization of division and separations and failings. So Moses whose lights is shining between the mountains, says Hashem is setting before all of us blessings and curses, good and evil – choose you good. Choose you the en-lightening.