Parshat Korach: Almond Branches

This year, I had the opportunity to do a number of tree-related art projects. They always seem to come out great - simple and beautiful.

Most recently, I painted a huge piece of wood for a collaborative sign for a local forest rehabilitation project. Each kid got to paint and write in an individual leaf how they would commit to taking care of the environment:

A few months back, I painted a tree mural with a group of youth group kids on the exterior wall of a local shelter -

And, of course, back on Tu Bshvat, we painted a three-panel tree painting for the teacher's room of our school:

When I read over the first half of this week's parsha, I was pretty discouraged; I was not inspired by Korach's rebellion or the earth's swallowing them up in punishment.

But, thankfully, the second half of the parsha evokes a more artistic image.

After Korach's rebellion, each tribe receives a staff:

"Take from each one of them a staff, one from each of the princes [of the tribes]… twelve staffs. Write every man’s name upon his staff. And write Aaron’s name on the staff of Levi, for they have one staff for all the heads of their patriarchal households. Lay these staffs in the [Holy of Holies] before the Testimony, where I shall meet with you. And, the man who I choose, his staff shall blossom and thereby I shall quiet the complaints of the Jewish people that they murmur against you."

"In the morning Moshe came into the [Holy of Holies] and behold, Aaron’s staff had blossomed; it had brought forth flowers, it had budded, and it had born almonds."

I knew immediately that almond blossoms would make for an easy and beautiful art experience.

The almond tree makes an appearance in various points in Jewish life and texts. All Israeli children celebrate the almond tree on Tu Bshvat with the song "Hashkadia Porachat." In addition to its appearance here in the Torah, the almond tree is significant in the prophecy of Jeremiah: "The word of the LORD came to me, saying, Jeremiah, what see you? And I said, I see a rod of an almond tree."

Rav Medan has a thorough article about the Biblical symbolism of the almond tree based on its rapid growth and rapid withering.

One of Van Gogh's most famous paintings is "Almond Blossoms" which he painted for his new baby nephew.

Although this is by far his most famous almond tree painting, he actually painted the beautiful tree branch many times over the years:

I started off the lesson by narrating the story of the miraculous staff with 12 wooden dowels that I had in the house. I decorated one of the dowels with pink tissue paper flowers to represent the surprise that the People found in the morning.

I encouraged the students to use toothpicks to make dots to represent the almond buds. Of course, some took a more precise approach and others a more abstract but all together, I think they look pretty "miraculous."

SHABBAT SHALOM!