Avi Biran (b.1964)
Armor Charity Box, 2011
Sterling silver, stainless steel, semi-precious gems
Courtesy of the Leonid and Tatiana Nevzlin Collection
Must Know
Tzedakah, which is most commonly translated as “charity,” has its roots in the word for “justice” or “righteousness.” Jewish tradition teaches that giving tzedakah is a religious imperative, even for those who have little to give. It is customary to place money in a tzedakah box just prior to Shabbat, holidays and other special occasions.
“A charity box in a home or office redefines the entire space. It is no longer just a home or just an office, rather it is a center of kindness and caring.” These are the words of Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902 – 1994) otherwise known as the Lubavitcher Rebbe. he suggested making a pushka box a permanent fixture of your home or office. Affix it to a wall. Or more correctly: Affix your house to it. The Tzedaka box that we have chosen for our exhibition is made by the Israeli designer of Jewish contemporary ritual objects, Avi Biran.Avi integrates halacha, hiddur mitzvah and his works are often humourous.
More Info
There are many layers to the meaning of this piece. Firstly we begin with the idea of the hand. The more money that you put into the glove like material then the hand will form more into a hand. Like it is written in Dvarim (15: 7-8
If anyone is poor among your fellow Israelites in any of the towns of the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hardhearted or tightfisted toward them. Rather, be openhanded and freely lend them whatever they need
Secondly the material resembles a weave of armour like one used in the time of the middle ages. As written in Isiah: in Isiah( 59: 17-20) For he put on righteousness as a breastplate, and an helmet of salvation upon his head…..And the Redeemer shall come to Zion
When the time of redemption arrives God wears charity as armour and puts a hat of salvation on his head, and all the countries see his bravery. Avi adds that this armour like style is reminiscent of the outer wear of the Templers, or the order of Solomon’s Temple a large organization of devout Christians during the medieval era who carried out an important mission: to protect European travelers visiting sites in the Holy Land. The Templars became a favoured charity throughout Christendom and grew rapidly in membership and power. The Templars set up a prosperous network of banks and gained enormous financial influence. They developing innovative financial techniques that were an early form of banking. here Avi connects the entire system of monetary exchange to this tzedaka piece.
And last, on a personal level Avi has a childhood memory of his grandmother’s purse that was made up of the same weave of metal that we see here in the box/glove.
