OLIVIA DEVORAH TUCKER

"If there is no flour, there is no Torah; if there is no Torah, there is no flour." Pirkei Avot 3:17

A few months ago, we celebrated Passover, reliving the Exodus, our liberation from bondage in Mitzrayim ("the narrow place"). Now, seven holy weeks of spiritual journey later (the Omer), we reach Shavuot ("Weeks"): when we received Torah, the 10 Commandments, and so much more, at Mount Sinai in the wilderness. Many Jews celebrate by staying up all night studying and eating cheesecake (the opposite of dry, flat Passover matzah), basking in the mystical marriage of The Divine's elements of Shekhina & Tiferet (when G🦚D marries G💐Dself in Kabbalah).

There is also a tradition to read the biblical Book of Ruth, on Shavuot. In the book of Ruth, an Israelite family flees famine in the land of Bethlehem (ironically, "House of Bread"), and settles in the non-Jewish Moab. There, the mother, Naomi, finds daughters for her sons; but when her sons die and it is time to return home, one Moabite daughter-in-law, Ruth, begs to stay with her. "Where you go, I will go. Your people shall be my people; your Divine, my Divine," says Ruth, uttering poetry which has become a mainstay in queer Jewish wedding liturgy. Without detracting from the bond and love between Ruth & Naomi, the rest of the narrative brings Ruth to work in the wheat fields of the totally romanceable mensch Boaz. Their child altogether becomes the grandfather of King David. The themes of accepting a spiritual covenant, making hard choices for family, and the daily labours of making bread are all highlighted in this Shavuot reading.

Now let's put it all together in this special Shavuot bread! El Pan de Siete Cielos ("The Bread of Seven Heavens") is a Sephardic tradition (from the Jews from Spain/the diaspora following the expulsion from Spain in 1492, Northern Africa, Greece, and to Turkey). I'm an incorrigible Ashkenazi Jew (Jews from Eastern Europe), so I've braided everything, which is less typical for Sephardi bakers, but more fun for me! If you've been following the bread-crumbs here, you'll find the wheat in the Book of Ruth, the seven weeks of the Omer/barley harvest, and the connection between bread and Torah. The seven heavens (the seven bread rings) are again echoes of the Omer weeks and the mysticism of the number 7 (See the Book of Jubilees), and stack up to a doughy Mount Sinai. (For a discourse on the purpose of each of the Seven Heavens, find Babylonian Talmud Chagigah  12b on Sefaria.) Bakers add additional symbols around the central loaf, including a Torah Scroll, Jacob's Ladder, Miriam's Well (a moving source of water in the wilderness), and the rather obscure snakes from Numbers 21.

Accompanying the challah are tea-towel calendars which my Grandmother, Esther Jacobson Tucker, kept from the 70s. In addition to taking her last name when transitioning, I have also acquired many of her books, fascinations, and these towels, which have been perfect for keeping challah warm & covered before presentation, and serving as photography backdrops. I appreciate the way they remind me of the passage of time and the bridges between generations.

This is my first time sharing one of my challah sculptures in a gallery context. Usually a loaf will come out of the oven, get a little photo shoot on the dining room table, and then eaten an hour later by a hungry Shabbat dinner crew. A way for me to show off some research and some creativity, get the joys of compliments and feeding my friends. Ideally, it's as ephemeral as it is delicious. May this challah (and its lengthy context) nourish you spiritually, even if it cannot nourish your stomach this time around! Chag Shavuot & Arts Fest Sameach!