Do you remember playing with a kaleidoscope as a child? Does it stir memories as you think back to all the beautiful designs and colors? Perhaps you don’t remember what one is, or just don’t know.
According to the Google dictionary: “A kaleidoscope is a toy consisting of a tube containing mirrors and pieces of colored glass or paper, whose reflections produce changing patterns that are visible through an eyehole when the tube rotates.”
Sounds fun to look at, right? It is! I remember spending quite a bit of time just staring into one and being in awe of the different patterns that were created. With each rotation of the wheel, the colors and shapes created a new picture to see.
A friend of mine showed me these kaleidoscopes that she creates. (You can find them in the Hebron Springs store.) All those fond memories I had playing with my kaleidoscope came flooding back to me. I can vividly vision myself playing with my cardboard toy as a little girl. The different designs I would create. Shaking it to create a whole new rotation of beautiful art. I forgot all about these. I can’t express enough how much I enjoyed this particular toy.
One morning, while having coffee with my husband, I told him how much I would enjoy purchasing one of her kaleidoscopes. I can’t shake the thought of how much one reminds me of my walk in Judaism. His quizzical look made me realize I should probably explain. I’m sure you would like me too also.
Well . . . Let’s break one down.
The glass pieces in the wheel represents the Torah. The glass pieces remain the same. They never change like the Torah never changes. Each piece with its color and shapes remains no matter how you shake or rotate the wheel.
The mirrors represent the Talmud. There are many interpretations on what the Torah means. Each Rabbi or sage has a different understanding of the scriptures. They bounce their understanding with each other to build a conclusion like the mirrors bounce the reflection off each other to make a piece of art.
The eyehole is my view on the whole. It’s as though you're looking through the Talmud to the Torah to see the bigger picture.
There are so many thoughts and understandings, not to mention the different levels. Every time I peer through the eyehole, I see something new, a beautiful view I didn’t see before.
We as a people are constantly learning. Just when you think you have an understanding, something changes. A glass piece shifts and changes everything. A rabbi’s teaching, a life experience, a simple conversation. There’s always a rotation of our understanding like maturing piece of art.
The beauty of the Torah never changes. This is why the wheel is the main focal point. When the light shines through the wheel, exposing the radiant light through each piece, this becomes vibrant exposing the love of Hashem.
What colors and shapes do you see in your life?
Rivka Herrera
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