Strength within Beauty, 16 Days Omer 5782

Today is sixteen days, which is two weeks and two days of the Omer, in the year 5782. גבורה שבתפארת. Gevurah ShebeTiferet. Strength within Beauty. Art nourishes the soul, strengthening our bodies to face reality with inspiration, communal understanding, and conviction.

Allow the Light In

Immersing in good art strengthens the soul.

Whether a well-crafted play like Indecent.

Or a rapturous yarn of historical fiction like The Weight of Ink.

A lyrical memoir like Still Alive: A Holocaust Girlhood Remembered.

A Biblical space reimagined like The Red Tent.

A relationship brought to life in two-dimensions like Rembrandt's The Jewish Bride.

The ongoing struggle to be human and yearn towards the Divine, as in Leonard Cohen's poetry.

The carefree glory of an intricately-designed human-scale superhero series, as in the Marvel Cinematic Universe.

And the feel-good depth of great television, like Ted Lasso. Or writer and actor Brett Goldstein on Sesame Street.

Art Strengthens Us, Creating the Ability to Face the Unknown

Today I was wandering the library. In our small town, the library is a fraction of the size of the amazing Central Library of Los Angeles. Nevertheless, while browsing the biography section, I ran into two books I own: Paris Letters and A Paris Year, written by my former coworker Janice Macleod. You really should read Paris Letters: it's an incredible and incredibly realistic memoir of making a decision and changing the direction of your life.

This is what art does: it creates relevance and deepens our understanding of our collective past, present, and future. I learned more about the Great Depression from The Grapes of Wrath than from any history book. My soul is expanded by every art museum I walk into. And the power of theatre and cinema to transport us is undeniable. So is the soundtrack of music for our journeys.

May you find time today to sink into art and relish being alive.