This painting, titled “First Day of School,” is the work of a contemporary Israeli artist named Boaz Noy, who lives and works in Haifa. I had been introduced to Noy’s work in an oil-painting class that focused on his compositions’ use of color to indicate atmosphere, emotions, weather and mood.

Curiously, I found nothing particularly Jewish about his paintings, except that they reflect Israeli locations. So, on a whim, I inquired in an email whether the Torah had influenced his art. To my surprise, I received a detailed note explaining that although he wasn’t a student of Torah, his deep Jewish identity likely was evident in all his work. He wrote that he had painted this piece after taking his children to school for the new year, noting that he had embedded a prayer for their success and well-being within the work.

I’m not sure I see it, but I know it is there, somewhere, and certainly it is in his heart.

—Saul Rosenstreich