How do we determine what is "Outside Judaism," and what is "Jewish Tradition"? Can a rebellious act become a sacred act? Can a sin be transformed into a mitzvah? And who gets to decide those boundaries?

"There are heretics who nowadays write verses on a small parchment in the shape of a menorah. There is an absolute prohibition on this." —Rabbi Jacob Joshua Falk, 1739

משנה ברורה א׳

ויש שהיו רגילין מחמת זה לעשות מנורות של קלף מצויירים להניח בסידורים, וכותבים בהם "שויתי יהוה" וגו' בן ארבע אותיות ושארי שמות, ומנורה כזה היתה נקראת בשם "שויתי". וכתב בשערי תשובה בשם התבואת שור שראוי לאזור חיל לבטל המנהג, כי על פי הרוב אינם משמרים את הקלף כראוי...ונראה דבמנורות הגדולות המצויירות על קלף שקובעים בבית הכנסת לפני העמוד תחת טבלא של זכוכית, שאין שייך בזה טעם הנ"ל, לית לן בה.

Mishnah Berurah 1

There are people who had parchments with a Menorah drawn on it to place in their prayer books, and they wrote on it the Four Lettered Name (YHVH), and this image is called "Shiviti"... It is written that "One should forcefully abolish this custom, because in general these people don't protect this parchment properly. However, putting them behind glass in a synagogue is acceptable." —Rabbi Chafetz Chaim in 1903

An antique Shiviti, made with ink on parchment, behind glass in a synagogue in Israel.

A modern Shiviti, made with a collage of comic book pages. (Notably, this one lacks the Sacred Name, YHVH.)

Tzefarde'a Tzedek (Frog of Righteousness) - Illustration by Emily K
This work is made up of verses from the Torah and Talmud discussing the plague of frogs visited on Pharaoh, including humorous ones passionately arguing whether or not it was a swarm of frogs, or one BIG frog that terrorized Egypt. The figure at the center is the anti-ICE protester in Portland who wore an inflatable frog costume. Humor and resistance to tyranny go hand-in-hand.

Examples of calligraphy and letterforms used in The Gathering Of Sparks by Emily K — note the Shiviti-like design.
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INSPIRATIONS AND RESOURCES I USE.
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Jewish Meditation: A Practical Guide - Chapter 8
One method of meditation is "Visualization." A simple method is to close your eyes and try to picture a letter of the alphabet, for example, the letter alef. To begin a visualization meditation, just close your eyes and
relax, allowing the images in the mind's eye to settle down If you have been practicing mantra meditation, you may want to use it as a relaxing mechanism. In any case, after a few minutes, the images in the visual field will become easier to control. When the visual field is fairly calm, you can begin to try to visualize the alef. You may have an alef printed on a card and set the image of it in your mind. Then close your eyes and try to picture the alef. Try to see it with your eyes closed exactly as you saw it with your eyes open. —Aryeh Kaplan

Calligraphy and Letterform Examples

Visual Inspiration
Wally Wood's 22 Panels That Always Work

Calvin and Hobbes
The reason I'm a cartoonist today.

Avatar: The Last Airbender

The Chinese language is used as the only in-universe text. It creates a sense of immersion.

Emily Kesselman

How do we determine what is "Outside Judaism," and what is "Jewish Tradition"? Can a rebellious act become a sacred act? Can a sin be transformed into a mitzvah? And who gets to decide those boundaries?

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