Seeing the Voice of the Shofar
Avraham Aryeh Leventhal
In the mystical city of Safed, nestled in the hills of northern Israel, visitors to Avraham Aryeh Leventhal’s studio often find themselves momentarily bewildered. The walls are adorned not with traditional landscapes or portraits, but with vibrant, abstract representations of something seemingly impossible to capture visually: sound.
“People usually need a moment to understand what they’re seeing,” Leventhal, now 50, says with a gentle smile. “But once they do, their eyes light up with wonder.”
Leventhal’s journey to this unique form of artistic expression began far from the winding alleys of Safed. Born to a religious family in Detroit, his path took an unexpected turn during his college years in Michigan.
“A book on Kabbalah fell into my hands,” he recalls, his eyes brightening at the memory. “From that moment, my life changed completely. The book drew me in deeply, and I found myself fascinated by the worlds it revealed.”
This chance encounter set Leventhal on a path of spiritual and artistic exploration. While he went on to study at the prestigious Art Institute of Chicago, the fire ignited by that first encounter with Kabbalah continued to burn bright.
“I knew I had to follow this calling,” Leventhal says. “It led me to make aliyah to Israel.”
Initially settling in Arad, Leventhal found himself drawn to Safed after just six months. Known as the city of Kabbalah, Safed seemed the perfect place for him to continue his spiritual journey while developing his art.
In his Safed studio, Leventhal has created a unique fusion of technology and spirituality. Using digital software, he transforms the sounds of the shofar – the ram’s horn blown on Rosh Hashanah – into visual patterns. To these, he adds his own artistic interpretations, infused with Kabbalistic symbolism.
“On Rosh Hashanah, we stand in awe and listen to the shofar blasts,” Leventhal explains. “I try not just to hear these sounds, but to see them, to capture their essence on canvas.”
His fascination with the shofar goes beyond its auditory impact. “There’s a midrash that says three days before the coming of the Moshiach, Elijah the Prophet will blow a shofar on the mountaintops to announce the news of redemption,” he says, his voice filled with reverence. “The Ba’al HaSulam, whose teachings I study, explains the inner connection between Elijah and the shofar blast. These ideas captivated me and became a central theme in my work.”
Leventhal’s studio is filled with shofar-inspired paintings, each one an attempt to illustrate the hundred sounds blown on Rosh Hashanah and their spiritual significance. When asked how many such paintings he’s created, he chuckles and admits, “I have no idea. I just keep feeling drawn to create more.”
His unique approach has garnered attention beyond the art world. Tourists visiting his studio often find themselves drawn into conversations about Kabbalah and spirituality.
“It’s amazing to see,” Leventhal says. “People who initially understand nothing about the subject suddenly become enthusiastic about the inner dimensions of the Torah. They look at the paintings with completely different eyes after our discussions.”
Recently, Leventhal’s work was featured in an exhibition in Jerusalem. One particularly moving piece depicted the shofar sounds of Rabbi Shlomo Goren, former Chief Rabbi of the Israeli Army, at the Western Wall during its liberation in the Six-Day War.
“I was deeply moved myself, seeing all these works together,” Leventhal admits, a broad smile spreading across his face. “But what touched me most were the reactions. People told me that after seeing the paintings and talking about the ideas behind them, they felt inspired to study Torah.”
As Rosh Hashanah approaches, Leventhal reflects on his own experience of hearing the shofar. “I forget everything and try to concentrate entirely on the blasts,” he says. “In that moment, sound and sight, the physical and the spiritual, all become one.”
Through his art, Leventhal invites others to share in this profound experience, offering a unique window into the mystical dimensions of Jewish tradition. In the process, he continues his own journey of spiritual discovery, one brushstroke at a time.
From Sichat Hashavua
