Cast Your Bread Upon the Waters

שַׁלַּ֥ח לַחְמְךָ֖ עַל־פְּנֵ֣י הַמָּ֑יִם כִּֽי־בְרֹ֥ב הַיָּמִ֖ים תִּמְצָאֶֽנּוּ

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Part of art installation by: Dorit Jordan Dotan and Judith Joseph
Send your bread forth upon the waters; for after many days you will find it. (Ecclesiastes 11.1)

The artists performed the ritual of the Tzedek Box by listing their acts of righteousness and justice, and also their intentions to do good acts. These were inscribed in Hebrew and English on strips of paper, which were joined together on a long jute string, like prayer flags.

They were inserted into the bottle, which was corked and set upon the waters of the Mediterranean Sea near Haifa.

The performative act recalls the idea of a “message in a bottle”, intended to make a connection with another human being.