The Artist's Torah

The Artist's Torah is an uplifting and down-to-earth guide to the creative process, wide open to longtime artists and first-time dabblers, to people of every religious background--or none--and to every creative medium. In this book, you'll find a yearlong cycle of weekly meditations on a life lived artistically, grounded in ancient Jewish wisdom and the wisdom of artists, composers, writers, and choreographers from the past and present. You'll explore the nature of the creative process--how it begins, what it's for, what it asks of you, how you work your way to truth and meaning, what you do when you get blocked, what you do when you're done--and encounter questions that will help you apply the meditations to your own life and work. Above all, The Artist's Torah teaches us that creativity is a natural and important part of the human spirit, a bright spark that, week after week, this book will brighten.This original, eloquent, clear, and practical book is a commentary, a memoir, and a how-to manual for the aspiring artist; it is a motivational treatise and a treasury of sage quotations.--Lori Lefkovitz, Professor of Jewish Studies and Professor of English, Northeastern UniversityThe Talmud notes that the Torah is a 'shira,' a song or a poem--artistic, crafted, deliberate, and beautiful. David Harris Ebenbach opens our eyes and exposes our hearts to the artfulness of Torah hiding in plain view. The Torah that emerges from his gentle reading rewards the reader with deep wisdom and exquisite beauty.--Rabbi Bradley Shavit Artson, Vice President, American Jewish University Ebenbach is a learned interpreter of the Bible, steeped in the literature of both traditional Jewish interpretation and the musings on the artistic process from self-reflective artists. His insightful readings of Scripture are profound and moving, spurring his readers both to align themselves with creative forces and to regard biblical texts in fresh and inspiring ways.--Rabbi Jacob J. Staub, Professor of Jewish Philosophy and Spirituality, Reconstructionist Rabbinical College David Ebenbach is the author of two collections of short fiction: Between Camelots (2005) and Into the Wilderness (2012). He has won the Drue Heinz Literature Prize; fellowships to the MacDowell Artist Colony, the Virginia Center for Creative Arts, and the Vermont Studio Center; and an Individual Excellence Award from the Ohio Arts Council. Ebenbach teaches creative writing at Georgetown University.