Frequently Asked Questions
If you have any questions about Kavanah Cards which aren't answered here, please feel free to email me.
Is the text directly related to the focal word? I don’t quite see the connection.
Each focal word and text feature the same highlighted letter of the alphabet.
In many cases, but not all, they are thematically related. However, they are not directly connected, like two parts of a verse would be. They offer opportunities to create an interpretation/midrash about how the text and focal word relate.
One might think of them as two separate decks of cards.
Are the paintings watercolor?
The paintings are actually acrylic, and quite unlike anything else I’ve done. The calligraphy was lettered directly onto the paintings.
Was each miniature painted intentionally for each card’s message?
No. I painted with the kavanah that the images could either look like micro images, natural things under a microscope, or macro-images, things looked at from an astronomer’s view. For example, is it a magnification of nerve structures, or an image of a tree? After I had created all the images, Benj Kamm assisted me in deciding which images expressed which thoughts and texts.
Do people think the card they draw is really a message intended for them?
There is a long history of the role of magic and the non-rational in Jewish life. Some people are open to the idea of forces at work which guide their pick; others would scoff at such an idea. No matter where your beliefs fall each card has something to offer, so you can approach them with whatever kavanah you wish! Some people enjoy the randomness, but it is also possible to view all the cards and choose the one or two you want to focus on, eliminating the randomness.
Are these Jewish Angel Cards?
Kavanah cards were inspired by Jewish Angel Cards, but have added dimensions. The focal words converge somewhat with the Mussar tradition of Midot, virtues. The text side is a gateway for appreciation of Divine presence in our world. Some texts allow for a different interpretation, that we humans participate in putting blessings into the world along with God. The Gematria is added as an additional source of meaning, learning, and play. Any method or approach used with Angel Cards would work with Kavanah Cards.
To learn more about Angel Cards, check out Deborah Eisenbach Budner’s set, along with commentary about Jewish Angel Cards.
What about Tarot Cards—any connection?
I discovered only after creating the Kavanah Cards that there are 22 Major Arcana cards in a Tarot Card Set, the same number as Kavanah Cards. There is no agreed upon source for the Tarot set’s 22, though some historians connect it to a Kabbalistic influence and the 22 letters of the Hebrew alphabet. The Tarot Cards are not alphabetical or related to the Hebrew alphabet, so the only common link is the number 22.
Where did this acrostic come from?
There is a long tradition of acrostics in Jewish liturgy and text. This one was created by Betsy Teutsch and Dr. Adina Newberg, a professor of Hebrew at the Reconstructionist Rabbinical College. We composed a set of 22 focal words which balance traditional and contemporary concerns and values.
To whom/Whom does the text side refer?
The texts are intended as expressions to cultivate gratitude for divine, everflowing blessings. Here we name the Divine by divine action in the world. This is called predicate theology, “a way of approaching a definition of God by listing the qualities we associate with divinity” (Arthur Green in Kol Haneshamah for Shabbat, p. 256).
If one reads the text side with a more human focus, it can be a charge to create that particular activity in the world, to the best of our human ability. This is, of course, working in partnership with the Source of All.
These are pretty, but what do you do with them?
Uses for Kavanah Cards are limited only by the imagination! They can be used individually, by families, at home, in formal settings, by laypeople as well as professionals. Please have a look at our section on using your cards for ideas.