CREATIVE SOUL JOURNEYS

The Jewish Holiday Consumer

Color My World
By Miriam Karp

March, Purim 2008

The women gathering in the lobby shared a buzz of excitement. A plethora of ages, backgrounds and styles, from the rabbis' wives to the soccer mom suburbanites to the funky hipsters to the accomplished professional artists in search of deeper insights.

The tables beckoned with inviting materials. A white tablecloth was covered with jars of brightly colored paint, glitter, paint brushes waiting to be immersed and brought to life. A small white canvas at each place anticipated having an individual mark and expression take form on it.

An elegant, petite woman rose to lead the workshop. With her lilting South African accent, artsy attire and eloquently poetic way with words, one might expect to encounter her at an avant garde Soho gallery, or a university colloquium on aesthetics. But Neria Cohen's quiet, deep and confidently sincere presentation was peppered with terms from Kabbalah and Jewish mysticism; it was an imagery filled journey to the soul's vibrant realities.

Neria has been on her own journey to a full Jewish life colored and inspired by Chassidic insight.

“I was raised in a traditional home, where holidays were celebrated with much family, food and ritual, but little content. At a young age I began to be disturbed by the inconsistencies and gave up Jewish practice. I studied theatre and film and was always interested in storytelling and the human psyche.”

When Neria came to New York to further her film career, a friend introduced her to the wellsprings of Chassidic study. Something deep and eternal called out. “I was always searching for stories. When I encountered the depth of the Torah, it was the ultimate story, a way to understand the human drama. Through Jewish mysticism the many layers of meaning in each word and incident are revealed. Chassidus shows how each layer of Torah, even those that seem disturbing or irrelevant on the surface, has deep personal relevance to our own struggles.”

While cherishing the inner world that was opening up through her studies, Neria did not initially make quick changes to her lifestyle. She approached Torah with the same careful, inquisitive and honest thoughtfulness that brought her professional success. “The Torah study was fascinating, especially the mystical, but I was slow to embrace the practical actions of the mitzvos.” Though she describes her transition as a gradual process, rather than a flash of revelation, there were key moments of insight.

“I was working on a docu-drama, “Looking for Richard”, written, acted and produced by Al Pacino, a wonderful film about Shakespeare's play Richard III. In some of the footage a Canadian director referred to the Bard as the Bible of theatre. ‘Okay,' I thought to myself, ‘Am I going to choose the Bible of the theater or the real Bible itself?' It was clear that Shakespeare was fluent in the Bible. Now that I had started studying it, I found many obscure Biblical references in his plays.

For me it was a pivotal question. What was the ultimate- Shakespeare, or Shakespeare's source?”

“My next step was to go to Tzfat, a small town in the north of Israel, to study Chassidus in depth. Tzfat is a very mystical city. Through my studies, I came to understand that to be able to access and integrate the spiritual light you need to have the vessel of halacha - Jewish law and observance. For example, to access the spiritual entity of Shabbos, or to be a vessel for the joy of Purim, one needs the observances, which are the vessel to contain that light. I was lucky to have teachers who introduced me to deep concepts that explained the inner meaning of the Torah text and the practice of the mitzvahs.”

While Neria was studying, the ideas for her workshops began to take form.

“As an artist, I was enthralled with the rich imagery Chassidus employs to explain spiritual worlds and concepts. To grasp and integrate intellectual concepts, it often helps to be able to visualize them. I strove to develop a method using guided imagery to help people connect these ideas deeply to their minds and emotions. In my meditation and painting workshop, I take people on a spiritual journey through guided visualizations that combine intellectual concepts, visual images and emotional response.”

When the women are comfortably seated, Neria opens with a synopsis of the spiritual concepts to be explored that evening. Dimming the lights, the women are guided through an inner journey as Neria leads them on a guided meditation. Then they open their eyes, take their brush in hand, and express an image they experienced.

An amazing variety of imagery, color and style emerge. Participants volunteer to share and explain their paintings with the group. In a most captivating way, Neria analyzes the paintings pointing out symbolic meanings of color, placement, imagery the woman used, with uncanny perception and ease.

How does Neria hone in on personal and inner meanings of the paintings of strangers? She applies insights gleaned from her study of Chassidus. “As I learn, I find myself developing an image bank of the kabbalistic meaning of colors and images. I am able to uncover the psycho-spiritual truths in the women's paintings, not because I am so wise, but because it is all based on Torah. If I made up the meditation based only on my personality and own ideas, it would resonate with perhaps 20% of the people, who had similar backgrounds or character makeup to me. I find it amazing how the women intuitively evoke deep mystical truths in their work. The imagery from the Torah resonates with them, from deep in their unconscious, where all souls are connected.”

Neria shares one of many examples. “At one Chabad House a woman painted a magnificent painting of a burning bush even though that image was not mentioned in the guided meditation. Her friend later explained to me that she has a bitter and difficult life. ‘Ah,' I thought, ‘the Rebbe explains that the burning bush is not a pleasing lilac but rather a barren thorn bush. It symbolizes how G-d is with us in our pain and struggles.' This woman didn't consciously know this insight, yet she honed in on the essence of her life situation.”

Passionate about her work, Neria has seen its special touch with “problem children” who struggle when learning through traditional methods. “Many kids can't learn through listening alone. They need active participation and activities that integrate the right and left-brains. I did a workshop for teenage girls who weren't making it in the normal setting. During the explanatory part of the program they were fidgety. But as soon as we got into the visualization there was such a shift- they tuned right in and did some amazing work and expression.”

Neria has brought her paints, glitter, brushes and insights to over 150 Chabad Houses across North America, with over 3000 women participating in this fun, powerful and enriching experience. Many initially dismiss their efforts, insisting, “I'm not an artist, I can't do it!” She gently coaxes the inner child and artist, by touching the spiritual wellspring within. The joy of expression and deep connection with friends and ones' inner source leaves the women inspired and energized.