Congregation Netivot Shalom

Peter Strauss

With all the dancing, singing, pomp and joy attendant on the arrival of an honored notable, as appropriate, Netivot Shalom's new Aron Kodesh was welcomed into the sanctuary on this festive Sunday.

A labor of love for its designer and builder, Blair Prentice, and its weaver of fabric and magic, Cathy Bolding, those who gathered on Sunday to witness this truly blessed event were stunned, awed and amazed by the Aron's beauty, elegance and truly Biblical simplicity and verisimilitude. Yes, it is a simple tent, as described in the Tanach, but such a tent!

As explained by Blair Prentice, there is practically no metal in the structure except for screws in the floorboards and pulleys in the structure. Bronze screws are used to hold down the floorboards in case the Aron needs to be disassembled. Bronze pulleys are used to help to maintain the angular integrity of the structure and equalize tension on the uprights, and four bronze dowels hold up the ridgepoles of the tent roof.

All the wooden pieces are fastened together with wooden dowels, and the fittings which hold one piece to another carved from ebony, they themselves being fastened again by dowels. This is not a quick-and-easy ark -- this is an elegant and dignified home for the Torah scrolls, and it is put together with consummate skill and artistry.

Cathy Bolding's fabrics are both complex and intricate: the outside covering of the tent comprises a maze pattern, fascinating in its design and execution -- it seems to symbolize the difficulty one faces in penetrating the inmost secrets of the Torah. However, should one persist in such a search, what awaits the intrepid scholar on the inside is magnificent: there, we find a simple desert scene, like, perhaps, an oasis with a few palm trees, and endless sand stretching out to the horizon, yes, but on Sunday, the palm tree fronds seemed aglow with the light of the afternoon sun, lending depth and three-dimensionality to the scene beautifully and effectively.

As the Torah stuns and amazes those who delve into its depth, so the Aron stunned and amazed all who gathered as the curtains were parted. Consistent with how our synagogue building was created, there were many congregants who contributed to the building of this ark, and many can look proudly upon it, claiming it as their own, as we do the building. And that, perhaps, more than anything else, is what distinguishes this Aron from any other anywhere: we the people of Congregation Netivot Shalom built it! It is ours, born from our wishes, our contributions, and our labors, skills and talents.

When we call ourselves participatory, we really mean it, and this latest addition to our physical presence bears witness to what it means to be a part of this congregation. While Cathy and Blair deservedly received standing ovations on Sunday for this expression of their commitment to the congregation, we all must acknowledge one another for being, collectively, such a vital and powerful community.