The Four Children of Metropolis

Four times the Torah tells us to teach our children about the redemption from Egypt, and from this comes a midrash that there must be four types of children who each learn in a different way. That midrash has become part of the Haggadah; every year we talk about these four types of children: the Wise One, the Wicked One, the Simple One and The One Who Does Not Know How to Ask.

Today that sounds like an internet quiz: “Answer these four questions and we can tell you which child from the Haggadah you are!”

Pop culture can give us new ways to connect to our tradition. The main characters in Superman, when taken together, can give us new insight into the four types of learners that our midrash teaches about.

The Wise One
Lois Lane is the wise child. She is an investigative reporter, whose job requires a depth of knowledge and ability beyond the average citizen… but which also requires her to constantly ask questions in hopes of finding deeper meaning. Lois wants more – she actively seeks out knowledge, and she wants to share it with others. She knows so much about the world; what can we tell Lois that will add to her understanding of the Passover story?

The Wicked One
Lex Luthor is one of the smartest people in Metropolis, but as with any villain he makes everything about himself. “What does this have to do with me? Why should I care?” He fears what Superman brings to the world, and sees himself as better than everyone else. What can we tell Lex to help him understand that he is a part of the story, but not its center? How do we help him connect to something bigger than himself?

The Simple One
Superman is a stranger among us. No matter how much he learns about Earth and the humans who inhabit it, he always struggles to understand the strange world he landed in as a baby. He wants to understand what it is to be human, and how he can be a part of our story, but he doesn’t always see how he fits. How can we tell him our story in such a way that he will understand, and find his place within it?

The One Who Doesn’t Know How to Ask
Jimmy Olsen is always just trying to keep up. When something happens he’s right by Lois’s side with his camera, ready to point it at whatever’s happening to capture it, but he doesn’t understand what it all means. He’s easily distracted, and a bit of a goofball. He is willing, but needs our guidance. How we do we give him the tools to engage with the story? How do we help him to learn how to use his voice to ask questions and seek answers?

There are, of course, many other people living in Metropolis. Who would you pick as each of the four children?

[Written with my wife, Rabbi Shawna Brynjegard-Bialik]

Hag kasher v'sameach!

I hope you're all getting yourselves (and your houses) ready for Pesach. Do you make your own haggadah, or do you have a favorite prefab one? Perhaps one from a coffee company? [snicker]

My "Geulah" ("Redemption") papercut is featured on the Haggadot.com blog today, as part of their build-your-own haggadah project – specifically, for "bringing social justice to your seder."

"Greenberg" papercut featured in 2013 Jewish Currents calendar

I'm pleased to share with you the news: my "Greenberg" papercut has been featured in the 2013 Jewish Currents calendar, now available for purchase on their website. The calendar features works by more than 60 artists and writers, includes listings of Jewish holidays and significant historical events.

Jewish Currents is a progressive Jewish bimonthly magazine that "carries on the insurgent tradition of the Jewish left through independent journalism, political commentary, and a 'countercultural' approach to Jewish arts and literature." Which I think is pretty sweet.

I was going to make a parenthetical reference to Jewish Currents' unique spelling choices, but on second thought it deserves more than a passing glance. As we all know, Hebrew words are not always easily spelled in English; there are just some sounds that don't "translate" – hence the December dilemma of how to spell Hanukkah (Chanukah, Hanuka, etc.). How does Jewish Currents spell it? Khanike. I imagine it's a nod to an older, more classical American Jewish pronounciation – very Ashkenazic — and also outspokenly different than everyone else's efforts. Worth a look, for sure.

More information on "Greenberg" can be found in my original post here.

Working hard (as opposed to blogging)

I've been working pretty hard lately -- four commissions at present, and preparing for a show this September in San Rafael, California. And also getting ready for my oldest daughter to become a bat mitzvah ... so yeah, pretty busy. I'll be posting some photos soon -- and sharing info on the show as well. In the meantime, I hope you're stocking up on gefilte fish and horseradish... Pesach is almost here! Here's a photo of a Passover-themed commission I completed last year as a portrait of baseball legend Hank Greenberg, "The Hammerin' Hebrew." (You can read more about it here; you can find out about ordering an archival giclee print by emailing me at isaac[at]nicejewishartist[dot]com.)

Completed commission: "Greenberg"

This morning I finished my latest commission -- it all came together in exactly the right way, and I'm very pleased with the result. Handed it over to the gentleman who commissioned it, and now I'm free to share it here.
Nicknamed “Hammerin’ Hank” or “The Hebrew Hammer,” Hank Greenberg played primarily for the Detroit Tigers as a first baseman, and was one of the premier power hitters of his generation. My "Greenberg" is modeled on his 1934 Goudey baseball card (see below).


More than a great baseball player, he was also a great man. One of the few ballplayers to give a warm welcome to the Brooklyn Dodgers’ Jackie Robinson, the majors’ first black player in many years, Greenberg is known for a story involving a collision at first base with Robinson. After colliding with him, Greenberg whispered a few words into Robinson’s ear, which Robinson later characterized as “words of encouragement.” Greenberg had advised him that the best way to combat the slurs from the opposing players was to beat them on the field. Robinson later said: “Class tells. It sticks out all over Mr. Greenberg.”

Greenberg was acting in accordance with the words of our tradition: to pursue justice and promote freedom, for we were slaves in the land of Egypt. We read these words every year in the Passover haggadah, which is why the papercut is backed with elements from two traditional haggadot: the 1949 Shulsinger Brothers’ Haggadah of Passover and the 1958 H. Levitt Publishing’s Haggadah for the American Family.

Greenberg’s jersey is composed of key selections from the seder, while his face and hands are made up of scenes showing Jewish life in Egyptian slavery. The Jewish people are made of our stories — we are our history — and so too is Hank Greenberg in this papercut.

UPDATE

I'm making prints of this papercut available for sale, with the kind permission of the gentleman who commissioned the original. The prints are 16x20 giclee prints on archival watercolor stock -- and they are spectacular. Please email me if you're interested in acquiring one.

Teaser: detail from current commission

Let it never be said that I don't provide special little surprises for regular readers of the blog -- here's a detail from the papercut commission on my cutting table right now. I'll be doing a full reveal in a few days when it's complete... in the meantime, anyone have any guesses?

My new Passover cards are here!

I just received a package today from Sunrise Greetings, a card company in Bloomington, Indiana. I do some card design for them every so often, and today's box had samples of my latest Passover design, based on the first line of the "four questions" and four cups of wine. I created the illustration and lettering in Adobe Illustrator, and I'm really pleased with the result. If you want to order some for yourself call Sunrise Greetings at 800 457 4045 and ask for the new Passover cards by Isaac Brynjegard-Bialik (item # REAGC.94289)!