Joseph
“Joseph is a fruitful vine near a spring, whose branches climb over a wall. (…) because of the Almighty, who blesses you with blessings of the skies above, blessings of the deep springs below.” – Genesis 49
Beloved son of Jacob, first born of his favorite wife Rachel, Joseph is a dreamer. He interprets the dreams of the Egyptian Pharaoh, which mention the seven fat cows and seven lean cows and the seven thriving and dissipated sheaves of wheat. The color comes from the golden color of wheat etched brilliantly into the background of the window. At the top of the window, notice that the incomplete hands are stained with blood, a reference to the Holocaust and Six Million Dead. The hands hold a ram’s horn called a shofar, the sounds of which are a wake-up call and the symbol of Redemption. Chagall knew the wake-up call was not sounded in the Holocaust.
