Karev Yom Rachel Braun
The words framed by the ombré shading pattern are karev yom asher hu lo yom ve ’ lo layla (“ Draw near a day that is neither day nor night ”). They come from a piyyut by Yannai , a payyetan , liturgical poet , writing in 7th century Israel . His poem , Vayehi beHatzi haLayla (“ It happened at midnight ”, from Exodus 12:29 ), is included in the Passover haggadah for the first seder . An alphabetical acrostic , the piyyut lists miracles that occurred at midnight on Passover , the timing of the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt . Drawing on rabbinic imagination , these events include Abraham ’ s mustering of troops to save his nephew Lot , Jacob ’ s wrestling with the angel , Daniel ’ s interpretation of Nebuchadnezzar ’ s dream , and more . The embroidered phrase begins with the Hebrew letter kuf , falling late in the poem when the payyetan ’ s attention turns to anticipation of future redemption . It refers to the Messianic vision of Zekhariah 14:7 : “ There shall be a continuous day — only the Lord knows when — of neither day nor night , and there shall be light at eventide ”. Initially , I was attracted to this verse simply musically , remembering a cheerful tune celebrating the coming of the Messiah . Later , I learned a more contemplative melody . Which melody reveals the correct interpretation ? Cheerful and toe-tapping , or contemplative and swaying ? Day or night ? It is hard to characterize the Messianic experience , a vast unknown , one that feels far removed from our current experience . In crafting the design , I sought elements that conveyed my interpretation of the words . I drew letters that had an austere , imposing stance , to reflect the boldness of Yannai ’ s vision of the special midnight intimacy of God with the people Israel . The color palette ranged from light blue to dark navy and back again , representing the fluidity of day and night in Zekhariah ’ s imagination of the Messianic age . I suppose that the embroidery resolves my musical dilemma in favor of the second , more serious melody , as the severity of the long rectangle evokes the challenge of waiting for the Messianic age .
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