The Hem of Aaron's Robe
© 1998 Ginger Henry Geyer
glazed porcelain with gold, acrylic and wire
2 ¾” x 37” x 11”
In Exodus, God dictates to Moses specific design instructions for the tabernacle, everything from its architecture to its decor. Robes for the high priest are included in great detail. Moses' brother Aaron is the first high priest--the same Aaron who spoke for Moses and who molded the golden calf.
This undulating piece represents the hem of one of Aaron’s layered garments--his blue robe. It was woven and embroidered with an alternating pattern of gold bells and pomegranates, stitched in scarlet, blue, and purple. In the text these details become mind-numbing. But the three colors are a wake-up call. Pomegranates do not naturally come in scarlet, blue or purple. Francis Schaeffer in Art and the Bible points out that in this passage God has ordered an abstraction from nature. The bells and pomegranates are a divine dictate for creativity! A hopeful demand for art!
In my accompanying poem, the image of Aaron's heavily elaborate hem blends with a memory of first seeing Michelangelo's Pieta. I was sixteen, with a tour group in St. Peter's, Rome. We were forced to gaze at the sculpture from behind velvet ropes. There was no way to get closer to it. The distance now is even more artificial since the Pieta was vandalized and now behind bullet-proof glass. Even so, the majesty of the carved, burnished marble seems to speak...not only in the faces and figures of the Virgin and dead Christ, but also in the curves and curls of the stone drapery, especially where the edge of Mary's robe touches the floor.
Hems are edges, edges finished to provide the wearer the proper and fashionable length. In women's wear, they go up and down like the stock market. Edges also are where two separate entities meet. The story of the woman with a hemorrhage of blood involves a hem. All she could manage was to touch the hem of Jesus' garment--but in so doing, she crossed the edge and she was healed. His hem that became hers, the Pieta's hem, Aaron's hem-- all of these figure into this piece and poem.
Exodus 28:6-7, 31-35, 39:22-26 Matthew 9:20 Mark 5:25
Luke 8:43 Psalm 139:5-6
The Hem of Aaron's Robe
The tour guide said hush-don't-touch-
just-look at her face serene in sorrow,
his hands limp with wounds
and all we could see was the
undulating hem of that white stone robe.
We long to run our unqualified fingers
along the marks polished by genius but
we are all on the edge,
we are all hemmed in
and this holy of holies is roped off.
Down low, as we strain to touch the garment,
a jingle announces Aaron.
He swishes into the fragrant cloud
and we sneak under his robe,
our toes poke out below the heavy laden
bells and pomegranates
laid out like jewels
plucked by hot hands,
melting into calves.
Under the divine dictate for creativity
we hear a muffled command:
"You, mouthpiece of Moses
Open your robe!"
Cool air floods the folds,
we shield our eyes and step, we step forward
to claim our permission slip for ecstasy.
