Artworks

This image containing various Geometric shapes and stars is basically divided into 9 sections - hinting at the 9 higher Sefirot (3 x 3).  The fractal repetitions within each section hints at the 10th Sefirah Malchut. Although Jewish people often claim the 6-pointed star as our own and call it a Jewish Star or the Magen David, and it does appear on the Israeli flag, this star is in fact used by … more

The number 8 in the Kabbalah represents the Infinite and Eternal realm that is beyond - and within - our Soul, Time, and Space. The figure 8, when placed on its side, is the mathematical symbol for Infinity.  It is also reminiscent of a Möbius strip, a shape with a surface that only has one side - its inside and outside are one!  It can be constructed by affixing the ends of a rectangular strip… more

"The Root of all religious observance and spiritual practice is for us to be constantly aware of God.  It should make us realize that we were created for the singular purpose of consciously experiencing the Creator.  Observance and practice should help us see that the only reason we were brought into the world is to use our spiritual powers to overcome our material attachments and limiting urges… more

The ancient tree in this picture is at least one thousand years old.  Its diameter is almost two meters wide.  The insides of olive trees get hollow as they grow older, and their trunks twist in a spiral around their hollow core.  I remember taking my wife and kids there when they were younger and all of us could fit inside the hollow core of this beautiful and ancient tree.   Several years ago I… more

  There are no hidden Kabbalistic letters or symbols in this picture.  I just enjoyed using my imagination in order to create a nice, pleasant space.

There is a small grove of ancient olive trees outside of Zefat.  It is about a fifteen-minute walk from my house, after two or three hairpin turns on the dirt road that goes down to Wadi Amud.  I used to like to sit in this grove surrounded by these ancient trees and meditate or study Kabbalah.  These trees were certainly here when Rabbi Isaac Luria was in Zefat in the 16th Century, and maybe he… more

This is a multi-media painting I made many years ago from a photograph I took.  Meron is to the west of Safed and is famous as being the site of the tomb of Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochai, the famous 2nd Century kabbalist who is the leader of the group of kabbalists whose teachings are presented in the Zohar.  The tomb (which is not seen in this painting) is to the right on the top of the orange hill… more

This is an imaginary landscape I made with many layers of watered-down acrylic paint.  It has the feeling of a pastoral scene here in the Galilee, and the choice of colors was definitely influenced by the local landscape.  There are no hidden symbols and nothing Kabbalistic here. 

The Abuhav Synagogue is one of the most beautiful synagogues in Safed. Rabbi Yitzchak Abuhav was a leader of the Spanish Jewish community expelled from Spain in 1492.  He died on his way to the Holy Land.  The synagogue was built by his students to house his personal Torah scroll which is still read three times a year. A legend claims that this synagogue was actually built in Spain before the… more

This drawing shows a woman sitting in meditation, visualizing her body as the Tree of Life Diagram - the 10 Sefirot - and the 4 Letters YHVH, the Holy Name of God.  Often called the One Name, it points to the Eternal Existence.  YHVH means Was, Is, and Will Be.  This Eternal Name was revealed to Moses by the burning bush in Exodus 3:15.  In Exodus 20:21 God said, "Any place in which my Name is… more

In Genesis, God created Adam "in His own Image, in His own Likeness".   However, since we believe that God has no image or likeness, Kabbalists understand this as saying that God makes Himself known to us in our likeness by ‘clothing’ Himself in the 10 Sefirot of Adam Kadmon - associated with the 4 Letters of the Name of God יהוה (YHVH). The 4 Holy Names in this 'Tapestry' are the same in that… more

One of the most complex meditative techniques of the Kabbalah uses the 72 three-letter Names of God in this picture.  These 216 letters (72 x 3 = 216) actually comprise One Name. This Name is mentioned in the Bahir and the Zohar, in Rashi’s commentary on the Talmud, but it was Rabbi Abraham Abulafia, the controversial 13th Century Kabbalist, who taught how to use this Name in order to attain… more