View at Idra Rabba in Upper Galilee

Of all the places in the world, there are few that resonate with me as much as the Idra Rabba cave in Upper Galilee, Israel. This was where the great sage Rav Shimon bar Yochai decided to teach spirituality for the first time in public, and here he gathered his 9 chosen students to open up the gates of wisdom that would serve humankind in the generations to come. After visiting the site of the Idra Rabba for the 83rd birthday of the great contemporary kabbalist (spiritual master) Rav Berg, I was immediately inspired to take a photo of the view from outside the cave, where the Rav was radiating tremendous light on this occasion of his birthday. The 83rd birthday represents a second bar mitzvah, where there is an elevation of soul taking place for the individual. The first 70 years of a person’s life represents a complete circle of one’s life, and therefore 13 years after that, a man is considered having another bar mitzvah. On a side note, a bar mitzvah also means that the individual has the capability of taking more responsibility to share with the whole world.

In this particular painting, you can see a small hill with a tree right in the central point of the composition. There is light surrounding the tree, and the sky above looks quite turbulent, with great movement and activity. To me, this scene represents the presence of something mysterious and actually supernatural going on in the midst of the hill. The Zohar, which is the work that resulted from the teachings of Rav Shimon in the cave at the Idra, is a work that connects me on a daily basis to these supernatural forces. That is what this painting represents. It is a reminder of the wisdom and purpose, as well as direction, that I feel when I connect to the Zohar.

If you look at the details in this painting, I incorporate the color purple throughout the work, whether it’s in the sky or the hill, to show that there is unity in all matter, whether it’s wind or earth, fire or water. This unity is what brings together people who are totally different, and what draws me to my easel where I can show this oneness throughout the world with my paint. Another point worth raising is that the same light around the tree I depicted in my painting by the Idra, one could think, was a similar concept to the bush that the biblical Moses saw when he saw a bush with a never ending fire pulsating through it.

Just a little background about the original burning bush… It goes back to the first time that the Creator was revealed to Moses. The idea of a bush that’s on fire and is not consumed, according to Kabbalah, represents the opposite of decay and death. The Rav, whose birthday was celebrated here, explained that the element of fire, at the time of the Creation of this world, was not originally intended to destroy, but was actually only a positive force. This idea of the burning bush is related to this painting through the light surrounding the tree on the hill depicted. According to many ancient sages, Rav Shimon had the same soul as Moses, so it is appropriate that there is a “burning bush” where Rav Shimon first revealed his teachings to the world.

This painting urges us to remember that no matter how old we are, at any age our life and mission has just begun. For example, the Rav on his 83rd birthday received extra strength from the universe to continue his spiritual journey in a greater and more profound way.