Glass Tzedakah Boxes - Rainbow Tallit Tzedakah Box

Born and raised in Israel, Tamara Baskin moved to the United States where she began her career in art. A self taught artist with some twenty years experience working in several mediums, Tamara's Judaica works are fused glass, with an emphasis on creating elegant yet functional designs to celebrate Jewish life. Each piece is signed and dated. The technique of fusing glass goes back to biblical times. Layers of glass are cut and then arranged in a kiln to be fired to a temperature of 1550 degrees when it becomes one piece of glass. A second firing is required to form the piece into a bowl or platter. Slumping into a mold may create variations of crackling in the precious metal letters. Tzedakah is a Hebrew word commonly translated as charity, though it is based on a root meaning justice. In Judaism, tzedakah refers to the religious obligation to perform charity, and philanthropic acts, which Judaism emphasises are important parts of living a spiritual life; Jewish tradition argues that the second highest form of tzedakah is to anonymously give donations to unknown recipients. Unlike philanthropy, which is completely voluntary, tzedakah is seen as a religious obligation, which must be performed regardless of financial standing, and must even be performed by poor people; tzedakah is considered to be one of the three main acts that can annul a less than favorable heavenly decree. This piece measures 3x3x6". **Handcrafted in the US**