light made solid

We just posted photos of one of our latest projects in our Religious Gallery section. It is a window series of the Twelve Tribes of Israel, and was completed in association with Pittsburgh Stained Glass Studios for a synagogue named Beth Samuel.

The story of the Twelve Tribes is from the Hebrew Old Testament. The patriarch named Jacob was renamed "Israel" by God in the Book of Genesis. Jacob had twelve sons, each of which became the founding patriarch for one of the Twelve Tribes. Jacob's sons (and consequently their tribes) were named: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun, Dan, Gad, Naphtali, Asher, Joseph, and Benjamin. (Note: this list varies slightly depending on your source.) Here's a Bible Study site with some more info on the tribes.

Each tribe is also associated with a symbol or a standard. These are what we depicted on our window designs. Again, the symbols for the various tribes changes according to who you ask. We worked in conjunction with the synagogue to find the symbols which best suited the needs of their congregation.

There is also an interesting and worthwhile tradition about how the Twelve Tribes of Israel also refer to their version of the zodiac. It's hard to track down a real consensus on the subject, but here are some resources for further study in this area:

1. The Stars of Israel
2. Astrology, Judaism and Kabbalah
3. Biblical Insights Into Astrology

It's really interesting how aspects of religious stories can have so many overlapping levels of meaning: from providing a shared sense of history, to insights into the arrangement of the cosmos. Working in stained glass is especially rewarding - not only because you become so involved with the symbols and the connections, but your work helps to illuminate them for other people in their own religious life.

Also check out some stained glass renditions of the Twelve Tribes at other synagogues around the country:

1. Congregation Beth Or
2. Temple Beth El
3. Windows based on a Marc Chagall 12 Tribes painting