Ner Tamid Pendant

December 2011Alabaster, sterling silver After I finished making the ner tamid for Congregation Etz Hayim in Arlington VA, I had several large chunks of alabaster left over from the process of sculpting the flame. I also had leftover silver that I'd cut off the square sheets that I used to make the top and bottom domes of the base. Because of the significance and import of the work of art they'd come from, I didn't feel like I could simply recycle or throw away the remaining material. It occurred to me that I could make a series of pendants with it, to use as a fundraiser for the shul—interested congregants could literally own a piece of the ner tamid itself. For inspiration, I looked back to the design of the ner tamid. The inscription on the bottom dome is the third chapter of Proverbs, which I chose because Proverbs 3:18 is the famous phrase "it is a tree of life (etz hayim) to those who hold fast to it, and all its supporters are happy" (עץ חיים היא למחזיקים בה ותמכיה מאשר), whence