Nishmat Kol Chai – נִשְׁמַת כָּל חַי – the first words of a beautiful Hebrew prayer. The word neshama means both breath and soul, so the first words can also be read as “the breath of all that lives” emphasizing that all living creatures are united by breath.
This piece combines the Hebrew words with the Arabic word gazelle – غزال – which appears in this passage of the prayer:
In praising the Creator,
If our mouths were filled with song like the sea,
and our tongues with melody like the multitude of its waves,
and our lips with praise like the breadth of the sky,
and our eyes shone like the sun and the moon,
and our hands were spread like [the wings of] the eagles of the sky,
and our feet were as swift as the gazelle –
we could still not praise you sufficiently.Nish
Nishmat Kol Chai by Joon Thomas
Chinese ink, metallic ink, and watercolor on acid free paper.
Produced in a limited edition of 15 individually calligraphed and hand-painted originals.
For purchase information please contact me
