Hillel Smith

Jewish digital art

I began a series of digitally-created Hebrew typographic posters illuminating scriptural passages with the intent of bringing a contemporary edge to ancient text. Experimentation with Hebrew typography in the context of liturgy and scripture dates back centuries to the earliest illuminated manuscripts in the Middle Ages. All are available in limited editions of between 3 and 50. Contact me for purchase information.

Eimatai

Hillel the Elder asked, ?אם לא עכשיו, אימתי — If not now, when?
(Pirkei Avot/Ethics of the Fathers 1:14).


Theodor Herzl

A common refrain seen in many prayers: אָבִינוּ שֶׁבַּשָּׁמַיִם, "avinu shebashamayim," literally translated to "Our Father in Heaven."


Boreh pri haetz

The blessing on fruit: בורא פרי העץ, "Boreh pri ha-etz" — Creator of fruit of the tree.


Kulanu keechad

כולנו כאחד, "Kulanu k'echad" — All of us as one.


rooster

This poster quotes a blessing that begins the morning prayer service:
בָּרוּךְ אַתָּה ה׳ אֱלֹקֵינוּ מֶלֶךְ הָעוֹלָם. אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לַשֶּׂכְויִ בִינָה לְהַבְחִין בֵּין יוֹם וּבֵין לָילְָה. One translation of this blessing reads: "Blessed are you Lord our God, King of the universe, who gave the rooster understanding to distinguish between day and night." An explanation (and there are many) is that God created all creatures with certain abilities that collectively enable the world to function as it should.


horses in psalms

אֵלֶּה בָרֶכֶב וְאֵלֶּה בַסּוּסִים וַאֲנַחְנוּ בְּשֵׁם ה׳ אֱלֹקֵינוּ נַזְכִּיר — "Some trust in chariots, and some in horses (cavalry), but we keep our minds on the Lord." Psalm 20:7 / תהלים כ:ח


Ayeka

After the man and woman eat from the tree of knowledge, they hide themselves from God. Then God calls out to them, "Ayeka — where are you?" (Genesis 3:9). Just like the man and the woman, the words of the verse — וַיֹּאמֶר לוֹ, אַיֶּכָּה — are hiding in plain sight.