In Judaism, the imagery of corners represents generosity; the mitzvah of Pe’ah teaches us to leave the corners of our fields for the needy.  In the corners of this design are branches of a carob tree. The carob tree draws its significance from its mention in a Talmudic story (Ta’ anit 23a) One day Choni was journeying on the road and he saw a man planting a carob tree.  He asked him: “How long does it take for this tree to bear fruit?”  The man replied: “Seventy years.” He then asked him: “Are you certain that you will live longer than seventy years?”. The man replied: “I found ready grown carob trees in the world; as my forefathers planted these for me so too I plant these for my children”.  These carob branches symbolize the future generations who will benefit from such generosity.

Your choice of quote for the center of this papercut will add even more meaning to the original design.

 Micol Bayer, former SAR teacher, designs original papercut Judaic artwork. Please see www.micoldesigns.com for more of her work.