When I considered the possible themes for the windows, I knew that it had to be something definitely Jewish and not just a pretty group of glass panels; the ideas did not come out of thin air. Attending Shabbat morning Torah study, listening to the Rabbi's sermons, and paying attention during davening by following with the translations - all that went into this endeavor. When the finished panels were installed, I was very pleasantly surprised and delighted. They actually turned out better than I expected.

I am not sure but I think we Jews are the only ones who put so much emphasis on the new month. Every Shabbat Rosh Chodesh it is such an inspiring feeling to watch and listen to Cantor Caplan, a Torah in his arms, chanting the prayer for the new month, asking for blessings and announcing the day of its beginning. Thus, I chose the months of the Hebrew calendar for my themes. In my research I found that each month has a corresponding tribe. The order in which the tribes are assigned to the months is the order in which their chiefs brought the sacrifices to the Mishkan and the way they traveled in the wilderness. You will find this information in Bamidbar/Numbers 2:2-29 and 7:12-78.

At this time, I have to mention that the tribes and the sons of Israel are not exactly the same. There is no tribe of Joseph, who was a son; instead Ephraim and Manasseh, Joseph's sons, became tribes. Levi is not counted as a specific tribe in the sense that they did not receive a land portion, but were placed first around the Mishkan and then around the Temple as helpers to the Cohanim.

Each tribe had a flag of a specific color with an emblem embroidered on it and each tribe was also represented with a gemstone in the High Priest's chest plate.

Thus, the windows around the sides of the sanctuary honor the months of the Hebrew year. Each window is divided into three sections. The center section illustrates what occasion we celebrate or observe during that month. The top panel shows the name of the month and the corresponding tribe with its symbol on the flag of a special color. In the bottom panel is a phrase that is relevant to what is shown in the center. There is a twisting ribbon in the color of the tribe's gemstone joining the three panels.

We start with the month of Nissan. Pesach is celebrated in Nissan and shown are the basic symbols for the holiday. You see the Haggadah, four wine cups, the Seder plate and two and a half matzohs. (I hid the afikomen!) The tribe of Judah is associated with the month and its symbol, a lion, is on a blue flag. The ribbon tying it all together is the color of the red garnet. The inscription "Zecher Letzias Mitzrayim" / "A remembrance of the Exodus from Egypt" comes from the Friday and festival eve Kiddush.

In the second month, Iyar, we have three celebrations. Yom Ha'atzmaut, Israel Independence Day, Yom Hazikaron, Israel Memorial Day and Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem day. What is shown covers all these events. It is a composite of pictures I took when visiting Jerusalem some years ago. You see David's Tower in the background. The phrase "Im Eshkachech Yerushalayim" / "If I forget thee Oh Jerusalem", comes from Psalm 137:5. The tribe is Issachar; its emblem is the sun and the moon on a black flag. The tribe was known for its scholarly ways and its knowledge of astronomy. The ribbon is the color of its sapphire gemstone.

In the month of Sivan we observe Shavuot, the giving of the Torah. You see the tablets of the ten commandments and the fire and smoke on the mountain. We also end the counting of the Omer. The basket represents the bringing of grain, and first fruits are referenced with the tree. The phrase reads "Zeman Matan Torateinu" / "The time of giving of the Torah" from the Kiddush for Erev Shavuot. The symbol of a ship for the tribe of Zebulon, associated with the month, is on a white flag. The ribbon is the color of its gemstone, the amethyst.

In the month of Tammuz we observe the fast of Tammuz, remembering the breach of the walls of Jerusalem by the Romans. In those days, lacking explosives, fires were built in excavations under walls until the heat cracked them and they crumbled. You see the smoke rising from the walls. The phrase "Tivnei Chomot Yerushalayim" / "Build the Walls of Jerusalem", comes from the Siddur when we are taking out the Torah and is a quotation from Psalm 51:20. The tribe of Reuben is associated with this month. The flower on a red flag is the Mandrake which Reuben was known to bring to his mother, Leah. The ribbon is the color of the ruby gemstone.

In the month of Av we observe Tisha B'Av, mourning the destruction of the Temple. You see the fire and smoke coming from the Holy of Holies. We sing the phrase "Chadesh Yomeinu K'kedem" / "Renew Our days as of Old" when we return the Torah to the Ark. It comes from Lamentations 5:21, which is read on Tisha B'Av. The tribe of Shimeon is associated with the month of Av. Their symbol on a green flag is a fortress representing the city of Shechem destroyed by Shimeon as a revenge for the rape of Dinah. The ribbon is the color of the gemstone topaz.

In the sixth month, Elul, we blow the shofar every weekday morning. The calendar page showing the shofars is for the month of Elul 5767, the year in which the window was designed. It is a somber month leading to the "Days of Awe". The phrase "Hachzirehnu B'teshuvah Sh'leimah" / "Cause us to return in complete repentance" comes from the weekday Amidah. The tribe of Gad is associated with the month. It was a military tribe and its emblem was tents on a gray flag. The ribbon is the color of the agate gemstone.

In the seventh month Tishrei, we observe the High Holidays and Succoth. Thus, I show both the Shofar and the Lulav and Etrog. The phrase "Yomim Noraim-Moadim L'simcha" / "Days of Awe and Days of Joy" are the traditional names for the High Holidays and Succoth/Simchat Torah festivals. The bull's head on a black flag represents the tribe of Ephraim. The ribbon is the color of the lapis lazuli gemstone. (The emblems for all the tribes are based on the blessings Jacob gave to his sons. Ephraim and Manasseh received separate blessings. Their emblems apparently came about a different way. Ephraim apparently took Joseph's his father's emblem. Joseph has several emblems, one of which is a bull's head because he was known to be stubborn as a bull.)

There is no holiday or other observance in the month of Cheshvan. The Midrash says that the month was reserved for Moshiach. There was no way I could think of to show that. But it also says that the flood occurred in the month of Cheshvan; therefore I show Noah's ark in the waters. In Genesis 6:13-16, Hashem's instructions to Noach (Noah) were to build it with a length of 300 cubits, a breadth of 50 cubits and a height of 30 cubits. The window on top was to be one cubit. The ark had no sails or rudder. Thus, the ark was more like a barge than a ship and was built on a length-to-width ratio of one to six, 50 cubits to 300 cubits. Naval architecture tells us that the most stable ratio of an ocean-going vessel is 1:6. All modern ocean-going vessels use this same length-to-width ratio. The design of the ark in the window is of the same ratio. I took the design for the top windows on the ark from old-style factory buildings that had windows along the apex of the roof to allow for ventilation and light.

The phrase "Vayigberu Hamayin Al Ha'ahretz" / "And the waters prevailed upon the land", is a quote from Genesis 7:24. The tribe associated with Cheshvan is Manasseh. A white unicorn on a black flag is its symbol. Now what is a unicorn doing as a symbol for a Hebrew tribe? The name of the animal that Manasseh picked for his symbol is "re'em" which is described as a white, wild, untamable animal of great strength and agility with mighty horns. It is also said to be the name of an animal of such size that it could not enter Noah's ark; it had to be fastened to the ark by its horn. The Hebrew-English dictionary also says that "re'em" is a unicorn. In the list of tribes in the Jewish Encyclopedia, the emblem for Manasseh is a unicorn. The smile on the face of that unicorn in the window means that it knows something that we don't. The ribbon color is that of the tribe's gemstone, also lapis lazuli, but I mixed two colors of glass to make it different from Ephraim's.

Kislev brings us the holiday of Chanukah. The Chanukia and the dreidel are the holiday symbols. The phrase "Bayomim Hahem Bazman Hazeh" / "In these days at that time", is from the blessings for lighting the Chanukiah. The tribe of Benjamin is associated with the month and a wolf on a multicolored flag is its symbol. The ribbon is the color of the jasper gemstone.

When our then nine-year-old grandson saw the design on one of his visits, he said: "Grandpa, that's the flag of Mauritius." "Mauritius? What's Mauritius?" "Mauritius is an island in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa". Well, we immediately looked for a copy of the flags of the world. Sure enough, there it was, the flag of Mauritius. Thus, I changed the order of the colors.

In the month of Tevet we also have no holiday or observance. Since the month is in the rainy season I show a bare tree and rain. The phrase "Venatati Metar-Arzachem Be'ito" / "That I will give the rain on your land in its season", is from Deut. 11:14 and is in the second paragraph of the Sh'ma. The tribe of Dan is associated with the month of Tevet and its symbol is the scales of justice on a blue flag. The ribbon is the color of the zircon gemstone.

In the month of Shevat we celebrate Tu B'shevat. It is in the spring and I show a blossoming tree and a plate of figs, raisins, plums and the fruit of the carob tree ("Boksers" in Yiddish), the fruits we present to each other at that time. The phrase "D'shenim V'ra'ananim Yiyu" / "They will be vital and vigorous" comes from Psalm 92:15. We sing it at the Shabbat Kabbalat service in "Tzadik Katamar Yifrach". The tribe of Asher, associated with the month Shevat, has as its symbol a tree on a pearl color flag. The ribbon color is that of the beryl gemstone.

The month of Adar brings us Purim. Note the masks and the grogger. The phrase "Mishenichnas Adar Marbim B'simcha" / "When Adar enters joy increases", is from the Talmud, Ta'anit 29a. The symbol for the associated tribe of Naphtali is a deer on a wine color flag. The ribbon is the color of the amethyst. On Purim we are allowed some levity. Look closely at those masks. The top one has no ears. The center one has closed eyes. The bottom one has no mouth. I leave it to you to figure that out!

The construction of the frame required special reinforcing to protect against high wind forces. I designed the configuration of the frames so that the Menorah could be placed within them for the best appearance. I followed the instructions given in Exodus 25:31-37. Here they are, somewhat paraphrased: "Make a lamp stand and its base with three branches on each side, three cups made like almond blossoms on each branch, and a flower under each two branches, and four cups shaped like almond blossoms on the lamp stand itself, and seven lamps to give light." I could not follow the instruction to make it of one piece of gold weighing one talent. The Menorah takes up 48¼ square feet and since the glass is in two layers, we have 96½ square feet at 1.6 pounds per square foot, which comes to 154 pounds or 70 kilos; a talent of gold weighs only 27 kilos.

The inscription across the bottom is from Exodus 25:8 "Ve'osu Li Mikdosh V'shochanti B'tochom" / "And let them make Me a sanctuary so that I may dwell among them".

Le Shana Tova, and let us all say "Baruch Hashem."

Thanks to the Executive Board and Board of Trustees of CAI; Rabbi Silverstein; Cantor Caplan; Susan Werk; Larry Rosendorf; Mike Chiaet; Google and various internet sources; but my deepest thanks go to my wife Bernice who encouraged me and worked with me on this project.

CAI stained glass window images © 2008 George Greene.

Next to George Greene's stained glass windows honoring the months and the twelve tribes are signed Chagall lithographs. Marc Chagall designed his world-famous stained glass windows for the Synagogue of Jerusalem's Hadassah Hospital, part of Hadassah's Golden Anniversary celebration in 1962. Often called "The Jerusalem Windows", they represent the 12 sons of Jacob from whom came the 12 Tribes of Israel. Chagall's windows are populated by floating figures of animals, fish, flowers and numerous Jewish symbols. Chagall had a deep sense of identification with the whole of Jewish history: "All the time I was working, I felt my father and my mother were looking over my shoulder, and behind them were Jews, millions of other vanished Jews of yesterday and a thousand years ago." The main inspiration was Genesis 49, where Jacob blesses his 12 sons, and Deuteronomy 33, where Moses blesses the Twelve Tribes. The dominant colors of each window are inspired by those blessings, as well as the High Priest's breastplate in Exodus 28:15, which was colored gold, blue, purple and scarlet, and contain the same 12 gems represented in George Greene's windows.

The lithographs were created and personally signed by Marc Chagall in 1961. Only 75 copies were made. The complete set in our sanctuary (identified as number VII [7]) was purchased by Jane and Ned Gladstein in 2006 after several years of searching. It is exceedingly rare to find a complete set. That they appeared on the market simultaneous with our renovation plans ... Ned said it was "B'shert" (Fate)! The order of the tribes are placed left to right, as they appear in Jerusalem. Ned's strong connection to Judaism is apparent: "As you look from Reuben to Simeon to Levi and all the way around to Benjamin, one gets a sense of unity - of having all the brothers together, in peace, in the same room." The lithograph colors are as pristine as the day Chagall produced them; when purchased by the Gladsteins, they were still in their original portfolio binder and had never been exposed to light. This is the first time this set has been framed [now in UV-protective Plexiglas] after wandering around the art market wilderness for over 40 years.

© 2008 Congregation Agudath Israel