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January 20, 2005
Ariel's Rainbow
When I was growing up in Brooklyn, attending the Yeshiva of Flatbush, my best friend in grade school was David. Our friendship unusual. Where David was widely accepted as The Smartest Kid in School, I was perceived, as one of the Dumb Kids. What is now recognized as a crippling math disability was, at the time, considered sheer stupidity. In any case, David and I were inseparable. On Shabbos, we played together, either at his house or mine. We read books together, we put on plays in the basement of his home, we sat for hours discussing the big, philosophical questions of life, such as: Who would win in a fight: Batman or Superman? Who is smarter, The Vilna Gaon or Einstein? David is a direct descendent of the Vilna Gaon, so his answer was a forgone conclusion.
As often happens, we drifted apart when we ended up going to different high schools. David attended Yeshiva Flatbush HS and I went to Brooklyn Talmudic Academy. We saw each other rarely and when we did, we were both uncomfortable and a little sad.
David went on to a powerhouse Ivy League university where he majored in Middle Eastern studies; he now has a career in government. My friend David sits in meetings with The President of the United States; he writes memos that help guide our foreign policy.
Recently, David and his wife Judy came to Los Angeles and visited with us. In spite of all the years that have gone by, our conversation flowed as if it had never been interrupted. I admitted to Judy that, "I was always grateful that David was my friend. He was soooo smart. I was kind of honored and surprised that he actually wanted to play with me."
Judy, patient and ferociously bright, responded: "And David was thrilled that you were his friend. He said that you were so real, a regular guy, and he was always thankful that you wanted to play with him." David laughed and said: "That's the definition of friendship, two friends who are grateful for one another."
A few weeks after their visit, Karen and I received a package and this note in the mail:
Dear Karen and Robert: I tend to express myself much better in my art than in words. I was profoundly moved by the writing on your website,Seraphic Secret--most specifically by your entry, Rain. I confess that for several days it was all I could think of. Having never met Ariel, and really not knowing you except through the eyes of my husband, it is hard to explain how much your writing affected me. Enclosed you will find a piece that I have called Ariel's Rainbow. For me, sewing is a type of meditation. While I was sewing this I spent hours thinking of what it means to lose a child, of how it profoundly changes everything forever--even simple elements like rain and rainbows. Thank you both for sharing your innermost feelings on your site. While I doubt that I will ever respond in words--enclosed you will find my response in sewn form.
I gaze long and hard at Ariel's Rainbow. I allow myself to be drawn into the space that Judy has invented. I move into the tiny dashes of color that lead the eye around. Look at the right side, staccatto bursts of color skip up and down, happy little children; yet on the left side there are mournful stretches of black and gray. It's usually not wise to be too literal when looking at abstract art, but Ariel's Rainbow seems to be a study of Ariel's soul. There are the vibrant burts of color--life, yet opposing is grief-stricken darkness--death. The intricate lines of sewing that bisect the fabric from top to bottom and from side to side, speak to the complexity of Ariel's life, of roads taken and those not taken. It is hypnotic; it pulls you in and holds you; it is a glimpse into our son's soul for which Karen and I are eternally grateful.
Posted by Robert J. Avrech at January 20, 2005 09:43 AM
Comments
Seraphic Secret is private property, that's right, it's an extension of our home, and as such, Karen and I have instituted two Seraphic Rules and we ask commentors to act respectfully.
1. No profanity.2. No Israel bashing. We debate, we discuss, we are respectful. You know what Israel bashing is. The world is full of it. Seraphic Secret is one of the few places in the world that will not tolerate this form of anti-Semitism. That's it. Break either of these rules and you will be banned.
Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder...and your friend's wife, Judy, certainly created a beautiful and greatly symbolic piece with "Ariel's Rainbow."
It truly works in translating your Ariel and the course of his life.
If only she might have used some visible "chutim shel zahav" -- threads of gold -- to enhance it and his "goldeneh neshama" even more...
Posted by: torontopearl at January 20, 2005 09:42 PM