David’s Psalms by David Sharir and Benjamin Segal; Gefen Publishing House, 2013; ISBN 9789652296191, 110 pages, Rating 5+ Stars.
By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel
CHULA VISTA, California — This new book on the Psalms is very simple and yet very elegant. Rabbi Benjamin Segal’s previous volume, New Psalm: The Psalms as a Literature, is an excellent work that amplifies the contextual and literary meaning of the Psalms. David Sharir is extremely talented and his depictions of many of the psalms are lovely and add a rich artistic meaning to the text that opens the way to the imagination. There are forty illustrations of the Psalms in this book.
Aside from being an Israeli-born artist, Sharir has studied architecture and theater design. He studied art in Tel Aviv, Florence and Rome.
The pictures are highly symbolic and wonderful—especially the artist’s depiction of David in Psalm 57, which shows David playing his harp while surrounded by dangerous lions—an obvious allusion to the various enemies he encountered, e.g., King Saul, the Philistines, and a host of other fearsome foes.
Psalm 66 is one of the best pictures; the author depicts the splitting of the Red Sea with the Israelites crossing. This image is very powerful. Psalm 91 depicts a worshiper finding shelter in the wings of a dove, symbolizing God’s maternal care over Creation. Psalm 107 shows the Jewish people making a pilgrimage to Jerusalem during for the three festivals.
Simply marvelous!
I would suggest that the author consider depicting every Psalm in a future update of his book. Children and parents will especially enjoy talking about the pictures after a Shabbat meal.
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Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel is the writer of A Shepherd’s Song: The Shepherd Metaphor in Jewish Thought (Kodesh Press, 2014)