This work begins with the tradition of the shviti amulet, a meditative image placed before observant Jews during prayer. The amulet functions as both text and vision: the worshipper reads the psalm written within its branches while gazing upon the image, preparing heart and mind to enter into prayer. It is at once a tool for concentration and a bridge to transcendence.

In my video, I riff on this practice by combining the shviti with the image of the burning bush—Moses’s first encounter with God on a cold desert night. The juxtaposition of amulet and fire collapses two different forms of divine approach: the contemplative gaze and the sudden eruption of flame. The burning image becomes both invitation and obstacle.

Since October 7th, and the devastation that followed, many have searched for God’s presence in the fire and ashes of our time. Sometimes that presence can be glimpsed; sometimes only distance and abandonment are felt. My own experience shifts daily. At times, I connect and feel sustained by a spark of transcendence. At other times, I sense only destruction, heat, and silence.

Shviti Burning gives form to this oscillation between closeness and distance, presence and absence. It becomes a visual prayer, holding together longing, lament, and the uneasy search for God within catastrophe.