"The Torah scroll is burning, but the letters are flying free."
Rabbi Hanina ben Teradion, Second Century CE, Mishnaic Period
What were the letters made of?
The Journey of finding the light within Illuminated Letters
*Click on each root to explore*
To experience Illuminated Letters: Threads of Connection is to enter an “Orchard”—the literal meaning of the Hebrew acronym PaRDeS. This traditional four-layered framework allows us to peel back the layers of artistic and spiritual expression, moving from the immediate visual impact toward a profound, personal revelation. Just as each Hebrew letter is uniquely engineered to transmit Ohr (spiritual energy), each layer of PaRDeS serves as a portal into the work.
Guiding Principles
Sara has invited renowned and respected scholars, authors, and rabbis to contribute written commentary about each shoresh (root word). Their voices bring depth, nuance, and lived experience to the project, drawing from many streams of jewish thought and practice. These teachers approach the roots not only as linguistic anchors, but as pathways into theology, ethics, creativity, and daily life.
The resultant contributions — which continue to arrive from across the jewish world — explore each Shoresh from strikingly diverse perspectives: male and female, liberal and traditional, mystical and academic, secular and observant. Together they offer a multi-layered and multi-voiced interpretation of every core concept, revealing how ancient ideas resonate in contemporary experience. Through their insights, the commentary becomes an unfolding dialogue, demonstrating that torah and its roots live most fully when engaged through many minds, generations, and ways of seeing.
