David Adika | Twilight

Twilight – (Between the Suns) is the transition time between sunset and nightfall; from a
halachic point of view, this is a borderline time in which there is doubt as to whether it
belongs to the previous day or the next day. Sages describe the time between the suns
as a unique time, combining halachic, mystical, existential, and artistic dimensions, a
transitional moment in which the boundary between human and natural action and
divine intervention is breached.

According to Chapters of the Fathers (Pirkei Avot), chapter 5 – Ten things were created
on the Twilight time on the eve of Shabbat in Genesis, just before the beginning of
Shabbat. These things are miraculous and unusual, indicating their place on the border
between the natural and the supernatural and function as a bridge between the physical
and spiritual worlds. The list includes The Mouth of the Earth – the opening in the earth
to swallow Korah and his congregation (in the desert 17), The Mouth of the Well – the
well of Miriam that provided water for the people of Israel in the desert, The Mouth of
the Athens – which spoke to Balaam (in the desert 22),
The Rainbow – is a sign of the covenant between God and the world after the flood
(Genesis 9). The Writing – is the writing of the tablets, which is the divine writing
engraved on the tablets of the covenant; The Letter – the form in which the script was
inscribed on tablets, that is, the engraved letters, the pills – the tablets of the covenant
themselves, which were given to Moses on Mount Sinai, The Tomb of Moses – which
remains hidden to this day (Deuteronomy 34), The Slaughtering Knife – used by
Abraham to bind Isaac (Genesis 22 ), The Dill – the dill worm, which was used to cut
stones to build the temple without using iron tools. Sages add a few more things in the
Talmudic tradition, such as the late Eliyahu – the angel destined to herald redemption
and the ram – who held onto the horns of the Akkad of Yitzchak.

According to tradition, in the six days of creation, certain things were created precisely
during the "Twilight" of the first Shabbat Eve; there is an emphasis here on this time
being a 'gateway' where unique phenomena are created. Twilight represents the tension
between two poles – day and night, light and darkness, order and chaos.

Jewish philosophy sees it as a time of spiritual gathering and contemplation. Jewish
philosophers such as Maimonides (The Rambam) and others saw borderline times like
'Between the Suns' as an opportunity to think about the changes in the world and the
eternal and temporal relationships. Some see between the windows as a time when a
door opens for the possibility of changes and new concepts. Maimonides sees
complexity in the idea of between the suns in halacha. It is a time of doubt that evokes
exceptional grammar in mitzvot (there is a practical meaning in the halachic context
related to Shabbat, fasting, and purity); in thought – it is a symbol of a border or
transition that emphasizes the difference between the tangible and the divine and
carries a meaning beyond the halacha and symbolizes the Man's complete inability to
define things in reality accurately. In The Guide for the Perplexed, Maimonides deals
with the concepts of boundaries and definitions in the world and refers to Twilight Time
to mark man's inability to grasp the transitions in God's world. This time is a meeting
point between the beginning and the end, between the known and the unknown, A time
that is a tangible expression of the fact that there are areas where the border is not
clear. For Maimonides, looking at the Twilight Time is a call to understand that the
divine world transcends human limitations, an understanding of the limitations of human
achievement – and the perception of the world as consisting of unity and constant
movement between poles. The Maimonides see time as a relative category dependent
on perception; the time between the suns emphasizes this borderline, where a man
cannot precisely define whether time belongs to day or night. This idea relates to the
existential statement that we live in a world where not everything can be determined,
and reality – is sometimes an area of ​​doubt; in this sense – Twilight, the time between
the suns, functions as a dependent time, where the tension between two realities allows
us to deal with the ideas of human freedom, choice – and challenge spiritually.

The concept of Twilight – has a deep philosophical meaning in the Jewish context. It is
not only halachic or natural time but also a representation of metaphysical, existential,
and theological ideas. The tension between day and night, certainty and doubt, order
and chaos brings to light issues about ‘now’ and questions about time and place.
Maimonides emphasizes that in divine creation, there is a place where nature is broken,
which makes room for miracles and things beyond simple logic. The world's materiality
and reality are measured against a spiritual possibility and imagination above time and
place.

The exhibition's name, which draws from the Jewish tradition, evokes thoughts of
borderlines and doubt. Between sacred and profane, between certainty and doubt,
between order and chaos. Under the concept of ‘Twilight,’ the 44 photographs in the
exhibition become a personal interpretation of transitional situations in which reality is
on the verge of collapse; they are presented as a visual index and refer, among other
things, to the history of photography and art. The photographs are an expression of
observing reality, and they seek to present it partially after undergoing the processes of
subtraction and reduction under the gaze and the camera.
In this way – the experience of personal observation aims to involve the past in the
present through references to visual anchors that serve as a source of inspiration and
continuous dialogue. With the help of imagination and the power of hope, a window
beyond simple logic is possible and will be opened with them.