Blue Horse

1988

“..Be ye not as the horse, or as the mule, which have no understanding; whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, that they come not near unto thee..”

Psalms 32:9

According to the Kabbalah, Blue, as one of the primary colors, symbolizes Wisdom, and the purity of Water. Water is the most profound symbol of all, for everything depends on mayin nukbin (mayyim shel ha nekevah)..The pure waters of the feminine womb.



In this rendition of the Blue Horse, an azure stallion can be seen who is galloping towards the pastures of wisdom from the barren fields of no understanding. The painting was inspired by the teachings of both Maimomodies (RaMBaM, Y.T. 4:13) and Rabbi Yosef Caro (Yoreh Deah 246:4) who understood the verse from the Psalms as implying that in order to enter into the Orchard of understanding (PaRDeS), one must be held in'with bit and bridle' and first and foremost fill oneself with the learning Pshat (Torah), Remez, Drash, and only afterwards study the wisdom of Kabbalah (Sod). Thus is its order PaRDeS.



The final letter in PaRDeS S (samekh) corresponding to the first letter of Sod (secret level) is both the first and last letter of SuS, the Hebrew for Horse.



The one who is so enthusiastic and wishes to begin study with Kabbalah (Sod), instead of Torah (Pshat) in the end will not gallop towards wisdom and purity (symbolized in the painting with the color Blue), but rather will end up in a slow trot, stumbling into heresy. The verse from Psalms state do not be like a (Sus) horse or a PeReD (mule). The letter'S' in Sus (horse) is the same letter'S' in PaRDeS, yet it?s location in the verse is before the letters PeReD (here meaning mule, but also the same three letters of PaRDeS, less the S). Thus it says,'Do not be like a horse' and then afterwards'like a mule' which is the PeReD of PaRDeS.



The inner message of the painting teaches us that in order to become'True Blue', endowed with both wisdom and purity (blue water), one must be like a hippic colt and trot through the basics of life before becoming an equine mustang, galloping towards the infinite secrets of the universe.

original height

118 cm.  46.46 in.

original width

160 cm.  62.99 in.

original media

Acrylic on Canvas

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