Handiwork
Newsletter Aug 24th, 2026 Together, we're #keepingitsacred... I spent many hours at a desk writing this weekend. Well, actually, sometimes it was a desk and other times it was a deli countertop, a coffee shop, coffee table, or my lap. ‘Tis the season of preparation for the high holy days coming in fast, this September. Over the course of my life I have read a lot of books, so many that Melissa makes me keep a large portion of them in the garage lest they completely overtake our home. I have taught many classes and attained a lot of education, even including college credits at 8 different institutions of higher learning, earning four degrees. But sometimes, I feel the pull to work with my hands. For many people this manifests in cooking. But that’s not me. I prefer visual arts like paint, calligraphy, pencil drawings, really anything. It doesn’t matter. I even spent a couple hours weaving an eight knot swirling wall lanyard for my kid this summer. (That’s how you can tell I was the Arts and Crafts Specialist at a summer camp one summer). There’s something about spending concentrated efforts on a craft that literally materializes before me. Something tangible that I can pick up and hand to someone. Our community is teeming with members who also love the feeling of creating. Our KITS Creativity Club members, led by Wendy Stiver and Sheryl Aronson, celebrate this kind of calling. And we are blessed with members from all over the world who craft and sculpt, draw, paint, throw pottery, quilt and even decorate doll houses. The photo above showcases the work of me (Chinese painting), Shari in SoCal (painting), Sheryl in Ohio (pencil), Casey in Boston (pottery), Ali in Australia (printed pottery), Corinne in Mauritius (shared textile). We have those showing their art now in shows (like Abbey with a show coming up in Houston, see below) or who have large collections of graphic novels (like Geoffrey and Amanda), and those with a portfolio spanning over 7 decades (like Bruria). And poets and musicians and crafters and architects and more!There is a famous artist in the Torah named Betzalel, who is described as having the gift of artistry come directly from God. We read that God says, “I have endowed him with a divine spirit of skill, ability, and knowledge in every kind of craft; to make designs for work in gold, silver, and copper, to cut stones for setting and to carve wood —to work in every kind of craft.” (Exodus 1:3-5). And, in turn, Betzalel dedicated his crafting towards the sacred purpose of fashioning the Temple, the dwelling place of God. Art and artistry, getting your hands to do work is a sacred activity. Partially, because I think it is a kind of materialization of an expression of the soul. The moment when you finally decide to stop working on the project, stand back and marvel at it creates that moment of awe and wonder and appreciation for the time, materials, and wherewith-all to create. Being able to enjoy the art or give it to a loved one as a sign of appreciation makes it even better. Expressing our deepest spiritual visions or perhaps just playing with materials and ideas to create something, and then to share it is how we’re keeping it sacred. Or, just the act of appreciating art is how we’re keeping it sacred. Together, we’re #keepingitsacred…
Rabbi Heather Miller Founder, Keeping It Sacred |
The above is an excerpt from a Keeping It Sacred newsletter. If you want to read the entire newsletter or any from our archives, please head over to: keepingitsacred.com/news And if you'd like the newsletter delivered to your inbox every week, please share your name and email address in the fields at the bottom of the page in the purple boxes. Thanks for your interest, and thanks for #keepingitsacred… |