ILLUMINATE SF

PARDES WALL

Daniel Libeskind (2008)

Permanent

Yerba Buena: 736 Mission Street, CJM (view map)

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PaRDeS is a light installation embedded in the wall of the Grand Lobby at the Contemporary Jewish Museum (CJM). Its stylized Hebrew letters translate as “orchard" – the connotation is that the orchard can be found on the other side of the wall. Metaphorically then, the sweetness, or fruit, of learning and art can be found inside the museum.As a form mystical multiculturalism, PaRDeS reflects the museum’s intention to cultivate different interpretation levels. An introductory wall panel explains that in the Jewish mystical tradition, four Hebrew letters (pey, resh, dalet and samech) each stand for a level of biblical interpretation: the literal, the allusive, the allegorical and the hidden.

Best Viewing: PaRDes can be viewed upon entering the Grand Lobby, during museum hours of operation.