A Splash of Kabbalah

For this week's Shabbos email - a creative photo shoot at Oneinfocus HQ.

Torah is compared to water that descends from Above to below.

Add to it a splash of Kabbalah - the inner dimension of Torah,

and G-d's wisdom is flavored with your passion and awe!

Behind the photo:

Unlike last week, this was a relatively complicated photo shoot with balancing flash and ambient light, controlling the beam of light, bouncing it and then of course, the challenge of timing!

Camera and Strobist Setup

In summary:

• Camera left: A Nikon SB800 Flash in a softbox.
• Camera right: White reflective cardboard to bounce back some of the light.
• Black cardboard behind the object.
• Camera (Nikon D90) on a tripod.
• I set the camera on timer and a split second before the shutter opened - dropped a slice of lemon. Shhhh.... I missed the wine glass a few times!

Camera and strobist enthusiasts can read detailed flash and exposure settings in the Oneinfocus Flickr Stream.

Behind the inspirational caption:

There are two aspects to the Torah:

The revealed:

G-d enclosed His wisdom in the Torah - these are the halachot or laws by which we live. The study of Torah is within the realms of intellect as it can be understood.

The concealed:

In contrast, Kabbalah/Chassidus is hidden and concealed. This is the esoteric aspect of Torah and comprises the study of the supernal realms, why the world was created?, why you were created? and knowing G-d.

The study of Chassidus engenders awe and love for G-d. Like a splash of lemon to the water, this makes the study of Torah and the performance of mitzvot much more flavorsome!

Wishing you a phenomenal Shabbos,

Michoel and Sarah