Although the Jewish people from the kingdom of Judea were dispersed across the globe for nearly two millennia, they survived assimilation by remaining rooted in their tradition while they selectively adopted aspects of the cultures of nations among whom they lived. Their roots grew deeper and enriched Jewish thought and experience while their branches reached out to global culture and enriched it through significant contributions to the sciences and humanities.
Alexenberg, Mel. The Future of Art in a Digital Age: From Hellenistic to Hebraic Consciousness (p. 16). Intellect Books Ltd. Kindle Edition.
Among Mel Alexenberg’s insightful teachings on Creativity
- “Engaging in the creative process to bring into being something new is a central value of Judaism that we learn from the biblical creation story that culminates in people being created in the Divine image and likeness. We exhibit our being in the image and likeness of the Creator by expressing our creativity.”
- “The biblical word for “image,” TzeLem, is the root of the contemporary Hebrew word for “photography,” TziLuM. TziLuM, meaning “imaging,” is more appropriate for our era of digital imaging than with “photography,” a word derived from Greek, which means “light-writing.”
- “Recognize that as you are creating a photograph, God is creating through you. Both the subject of your photo and the photograph itself are facets of Hamakom. Open your eyes in wonder everyplace. With eyes of wonder, you can discover the miraculous in the mundane. Stop long enough to uncover veiled aspects of Hamakom, expressed through the built environment, and frame them through your lens.”
- “The Bible encoded in a flowing scroll form provides a clue as to the nature of biblical consciousness as an open-ended, living system.”
- “Hebraic consciousness shares with postmodernism a dynamic, creative, playful consciousness that promotes the interplay between multiple perspectives and alternating viewpoints from inside and from outside.”