may our struggles transform us

Gen­e­sis 32:29
וַיֹּ֗אמֶר לֹ֤א יַעֲקֹב֙ יֵאָמֵ֥ר עוֹד֙ שִׁמְךָ֔ כִּ֖י אִם־יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל
כִּֽי־שָׂרִ֧יתָ עִם־אֱלֹהִ֛ים וְעִם־אֲנָשִׁ֖ים וַתּוּכָֽל׃
Said he, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel,
for you have striv­en with beings divine and human, and have prevailed.”

In the New Year,
may our struggles transform us and the world
for growth, blessing, repair, and especially, for peace.

Return­ing to his birth­place in Canaan, Jacob encoun­ters a being. He emerges trans­formed and renamed Israel, one who wres­tles with the divine.

The two names form the image on this year’s card; one the mir­ror image of the oth­er. They entwine in strug­gle and embrace.

…and a word from pop­u­lar culture:

Linoleum cut pro­duced by Mark, Sum­mer 2024
©Mark Hurvitz 2024

list of cards

last year’s card

next year’s card