Whose God is taller?

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Robert at Daily Athens is restarting our PsalmChallenge after a summer break.
We are up to Psalm 24. You are welcome to join in and try your hand at illustrating a verse (or all the verses) every Sunday.
I repost mine from last June (before I knew we were out on vacation), but it's OK--this great Psalm deserves repetition.
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P S A L M 24
1 A Psalm of David.

The earth is the LORD's and the fulness thereof, the world and those who dwell therein; 2 for he has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the rivers.
.3 Who shall ascend the hill of the LORD? And who shall stand in his holy place? 4 He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to what is false, and does not swear deceitfully. 5 He will receive blessing from the LORD, and vindication from the God of his salvation. 6 Such is the generation of those who seek him, who seek the face of the God of Jacob. [Selah]
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7 Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O everlasting doors! that the King of glory may come in.
8 Who is the King of glory? The LORD, strong and mighty, the LORD, mighty in battle! 9 Lift up your heads, O gates! and be lifted up, O everlasting doors! that the King of glory may come in. 10 Who is this King of glory? The LORD of hosts, he is the King of glory! [Selah] .
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Photo (more beautiful when enlarged):
The bottom of the stained glass window says, in Hebrew, "Lift up your heads, O gates."
The window is one of many in Jerusalem's Great Synagogue that are based on verses in the Book of Psalms.
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I cannot read these verses without hearing the cantor singing them half a century ago in the synagogue of my youth in Chicago. The whole congregation would sing the stirring words in Hebrew as the doors of the Holy Ark were opened, revealing the Torah scrolls.
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UPDATE: Dr. Ray Vander Laan explains why the Hebrew gate heads had to be lifted up in a short but great video filmed in Egypt. Recommended!
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Shepherd and sheep on Yom Kippur

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Two of the stained glass windows of Renanim synagogue in Hechal Shlomo, Jerusalem.
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In a few hours Israel enters into both the Sabbath and Yom Kippur.
Everything shuts down and it gets very quiet all over the country.
This Day of Atonement is a time of intense prayer, total fasting for 25 hours, soul-searching, and repentence for many Jews.
(For many secular Jews, it is a time to stroll down the empty highways and for the children to bike ride or skate in the car-free streets.)
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As the beautiful Yom Kippur window shows, the Gates of Repentence are open.
Above Jerusalem is the traditional image of God's Book of Life, open, with quill ready.
The long liturgy of the evening and of the following day centers on our plea that he will inscribe us in the Book of Life and seal it for another year.
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The Rosh Hashana window (please do enlarge it) quotes from the moving and powerful piyyut (liturgical poem) Unetaneh Tokef which is sung in every synagogue both on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur.

כָל בָּאֵי עולָם יַעַבְרוּן לְפָנֶיךָ כִּבְנֵי מָרון. כְּבַקָּרַת רועֶה עֶדְרו. מַעֲבִיר צאנו תַּחַת שִׁבְטו .כֵּן תַּעֲבִיר וְתִסְפּר וְתִמְנֶה וְתִפְקד נֶפֶשׁ כָּל חָי. וְתַחְתּךְ קִצְבָה לְכָל בְּרִיּותֶיךָ. וְתִכְתּב אֶת גְּזַר דִּינָם:
בְּראשׁ הַשָּׁנָה יִכָּתֵבוּן וּבְיום צום כִּפּוּר יֵחָתֵמוּן כַּמָּה יַעַבְרוּן וְכַמָּה יִבָּרֵאוּן מִי יִחְיֶה וּמִי יָמוּת. מִי בְקִצּו וּמִי לא בְקִצּו מִי בַמַּיִם. וּמִי בָאֵשׁ מִי בַחֶרֶב. וּמִי בַחַיָּה מִי בָרָעָב. וּמִי בַצָּמָא מִי בָרַעַשׁ. וּמִי בַמַּגֵּפָה מִי בַחֲנִיקָה וּמִי בַסְּקִילָה מִי יָנוּחַ וּמִי יָנוּעַ מִי יִשָּׁקֵט וּמִי יִטָּרֵף מִי יִשָּׁלֵו. וּמִי יִתְיַסָּר מִי יֵעָנִי. וּמִי יֵעָשֵׁר מִי יִשָּׁפֵל. וּמִי יָרוּם וּתְשׁוּבָה וּתְפִלָּה וּצְדָקָה מַעֲבִירִין אֶת רעַ הַגְּזֵרָה
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"All mankind will pass before You like members of the flock.
Like a shepherd pasturing his flock, making sheep pass under his staff, so shall You cause to pass, count, calculate, and consider the soul of all the living;
and You shall apportion the fixed needs of all Your creatures and inscribe their verdict. "

The piyyut is traditionally attributed to a medieval Rabbi Amnon of Mainz, who spoke the words while he was being martyred. More here.
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You can read its translation in the ArtScroll Machzor.
Here is part of it:
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"On Rosh Hashanah will be inscribed and on Yom Kippur will be sealed
how many will pass from the earth and how many will be created;
who will live and who will die;
who will die at his predestined time and who before his time;
who by water and who by fire,
who by sword, who by beast, who by famine, who by thirst,
who by storm, who by plague,
who by strangulation, and who by stoning.
Who will rest and who will wander,
who will live in harmony and who will be harried,
who will enjoy tranquility and who will suffer,
who will be impoverished and who will be enriched,
who will be degraded and who will be exalted.
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But REPENTANCE, PRAYER and CHARITY
[tshuvah, tfilah, tzedaka]
Remove the evil of the Decree!
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Don't you love that idea that by our re-turning, praying, and doing acts of kindness we can change everything?!
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Before shutting down the computer for its yearly day of rest, I leave you with the traditional blessings--Shabbat shalom (Sabbath peace), tsom kal (easy over the fast), and Gmar chatima tova (May you be have a good inscription)!
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P.S. My little grandson made his own ram's horn for these Days of Awe!
Here is a short and sweet video of Dean blowing the shofar.
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Elijah's chair

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Please enlarge the photo to enjoy the rich detail of this special chair in the Great Synagogue in Jerusalem.
Written on the chair are the Hebrew words meaning
"THIS IS THE THRONE OF ELIJAH THE PROPHET, WHO IS REMEMBERED FOR GOOD."
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These are the words the mohel proclaims to the guests as the 8-day-old boy is placed on the chair.
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Usually the baby is then moved to the lap of the sandek (the man honored with the privilege of holding the baby during the act of circumcision); and Elijah's beautiful chair is left free for Elijah who, according to Jewish tradition, comes to witness every brit milah (circumcision).
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Before beginning his quick work, the mohel recites several blessings, including this one:
"O Elijah, messenger of the covenant מַלְאַךְ הַבְּרִית , behold, yours is now before you; stand at my side and assist me."
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I read that some communities use a regular chair over which is placed a nice cloth embroidered with "This is the throne [chair] of Elijah the prophet, who is remembered for good."
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I noticed this one displayed in the window of a baby goods store on Jaffa Street.
It was on sale, reduced from 150 to 120 shekels.
Need one?
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To see more of the Great Synagogue where the chair resides, see my post Bench on the Bima.
To understand who gets which honors in a traditional Orthodox Jewish brit, see AskMoses.com.
Non-Jewish readers might enjoy the explanation of the brit and naming ceremony at Hebrew4Christians.com.
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