This 'Shema Israel' painting was inspired by one of the best known and oldest of prayers of the Bible. It has been recited twice daily, once in the morning, and once in the night time, for over 3300 years.

According to the four methods of interpretation called Pardes (translated as paradise/ or The Garden of Eden), there are many translations of the Shema.

"Hear Israel, the Lord is our G-d, the Lord is One."

"Understand deeply Israel, the Almighty is surrounding, loving and encompassing us at all moments everywhere, and in every situation we are with Him and He is with us."

"Lift up your eyes, be a witness, Israel, that G-d is the Master of nature in the revealed sense, and G-d is One, unifying the 7 spiritual heavens and the physical earth and the 4 spatial directions."

Rebbe Shimon Bar Yochai was given permission to reveal the secrets of the creation through authoring the Zohar. He is referred to by the acronym of his name 'Rashby'.

A few generations later, the Holy Ba'al Shem Tov revealed the new light of Chassidut which further makes accessible the secrets in a way even the masses can relate to. The acronym of the Holy Ba'al Shem Tov's name is likewise 'Rashby' (Rabbi Yisrael Ben Sarah).

The Tanya written by the first Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rebbe Shneur Zalman, further explains in intellectual terms the teachings of the Holy Ba'al Shem Tov.

The 32nd chapter of this work which forms the word 'Lev' (heart) is said to contain the 'heart' of the teachings of the inner secrets. It teaches the concept of 'Ve' Ahavta l'Re'acha', 'You shall love your fellow as yourself' which is the gateway to transcending the ego and loving G-d.

Contemplating the essence of this teaching, one realizes that we all share the same soul and are only differentiated by the physical bodies that contain the 'parts' of that one soul.

This means that when doing a favor to one's fellow it is like the right hand helping the left hand, where there's no competition because they are part of the same body. This understanding creates a very profound unity which will bring us swiftly to the ultimate redemption.

'Ana BeKoach' depicts the special prayer using the 42 letter name of G-d which was revealed by the ancient sage, Rebbe Nechunia Ben Hakanah.

According to the Kabbalah, this 42 letter name of G-d represents the 42 travels that the Jewish people made in the desert before entering the Holy Land.

This symbolizes the spiritual energy to transform life's hostile barren places, or deserts, into a productive fruitful experience that leads one to attain ones dreams and visions, in other words, one's "Promised Land".

This stunning artwork depicts the seven emotional powers in the middle of the painting where the creative Divine force called Malchut (Royalty) is in the very center.

These seven emotional powers are the spiritual genetic makeup of every person.

Some people's spirit emphasize Chesed/kindness whereas others emphasize Gevurah/justice. There are individuals that gravitate towards harmony/Tiferet and compassion, whereas others are dominating (Netzach) or submissive and grateful (Hod) in nature.

Yesod/foundation is the soul power that represents bonding and connection which is highlighted in individuals that are natural mentors.

The main means of actualization of all these spiritual traits is through the Sefirah (Divine creative force) of Malchut/Royalty.

This painting depicts the tree of love. The very first letter of the Torah is Beit.

Genesis 1:1
"In the beginning G-d created the heaven and the earth".

The Holy Zohar teaches that all the 22 letters of the Alef-Bet (the Hebrew Alphabet) came before G-d to have the honor of being used as the first letter of the Torah.

This distinction was bestowed on the letter 'Beit'. This is because it symbolizes blessing/Bracha which is related to the gematria (numerical value) of the letter 'beit', two, which implies increase and doubling.

The very last letter of the Torah is Lamed. This spells the word, LEV, meaning heart which is the seat of the emotions, the primary being the power of love.

Deuteronomy 34:12
"and all the strong hand, and all the great awe, which Moses performed before the eyes of Israel."

Culturally, many have a habit of donating to charity in the amount of '18' or multiples of '18' because the numerical value of 'Chai' is eighteen.

At eighteen years old the Mishna deems one ready to start married life. L'Chaim' to the bride and groom!

It is one of the most widely recognized symbols in Judaism since it is considered a propitious number in Jewish thought as it represents good healthy liveliness ('chayut' in Hebrew) and life.

The acronym of Chai spells 'Yode'a Chen', literally translated as 'those who know of grace', meaning, those knowledgeable in the hidden secrets of the Torah symbolized as 'chen', grace. This chen is even physically apparent when seeing a great Sage and seeing a newborn baby who just finished learning the whole Torah in its mother's womb, the source of life.

The traditional 'Blessing of the Cohanim' is as follows:

May G-d bless you, and guard you.

May G-d make His face shine unto you, and be gracious to you.

May G-d lift up His face unto you, and give to you peace.

All three verses start with the smallest letter of the Hebrew Alef Bet, 'Yud ', which is a simple dot. According to Chassidut, this means that the blessings start as a spark of an idea (like the flash of wisdom) and increasingly develops, traveling through the three worlds of Creation, Formation, and Action.

This painting features the verse from King Solomon's Song of Songs, "Ani LeDodi V'Dodi Li", ("I am to my Beloved, and My Beloved is to me").

The simple explanation is that this love is reflected like a mirror; how I am to others is how they are to me; as well, how much room I make for G-d is how much room G-d makes for me.

The bright bubbly background symbolizes the racing of the blood vessels when Oxytocin love hormone is released into the blood stream when experiencing intense feelings of love.

The traditional 'Blessing of the Cohanim' is as follows:

May G-d bless you, and guard you.

May G-d make His face shine unto you, and be gracious to you.

May G-d lift up His face unto you, and give to you peace.

All three verses start with the smallest letter of the Hebrew Alef Bet, 'Yud ', which is a simple dot. According to Chassidut, this means that the blessings start as a spark of an idea (like the flash of wisdom) and increasingly develops, traveling through the three worlds of Creation, Formation, and Action.