Torah

The Torah is sometimes called an orchard. The Hebrew for orchard is פרדס (Pardes) and its 4 letters hint at the 4 levels of Torah knowledge depicted here in 4 concentric rings.
 
1.   פשט     פ         Pshat         simple         Scripture      body
2.   רמז       ר        Remez        hinted         Mishnah      heart
3.   דרש      ד        Drash         derived        Talmud         mind
4.   סוד       ס         Sode          secret         Kabbalah      soul

1.  The outermost circle quotes the opening sentences of the first scroll of the Scriptures… more

I painted this picture not long after I made 'The Orchard of the Torah'.  I wrote the 4 letters of the Hebrew word for orchard פרדס (pardes) along the horizontal line dividing the picture in half. 

4 pairs of trees representing the 4 levels of the Torah expressed by the 4 letters of Pardes - פשט - רמז -  דרש - סוד - simple, hinted, derived and secret.draw the eye inward to the center of the picture (as is explained in detail in my description of  'The Orchard of the Torah.')

All the branches and roots that extend from these 4 pairs of trees are  interconnected and joined… more

I painted this picture not long after I made 'The Orchard of the Torah'.  I wrote the 4 letters of the Hebrew word for orchard פרדס (pardes) along the horizontal line dividing the picture in half. 

4 pairs of trees representing the 4 levels of the Torah expressed by the 4 letters of Pardes - פשט - רמז -  דרש - סוד - simple, hinted, derived and secret -.draw the eye inward to the center of the picture (as is explained in detail in my description of  'The Orchard of the Torah.')

All the branches and roots that extend from these 4 pairs of trees are  interconnected and joined… more