These are 12 portraits of Rabbi Yisroel Ber Oddesser (The Saba) as a young man. Please scroll down or click on any image in order to view as a slide show. If you are interested in obtaining the original high quality files for print or distribution please email me with the link above. They would make great T-shirts, posters, album covers, pillow cases, wall paper, shopping bags, matchbox covers, clothing patches etc. I would love to see them everywhere in print.
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Simple black and White
This is the first of the series of Young Saba. I thought that it was important to show him as a young man. Firstly because I believe that Saba was always truly young and also because I felt that this was an image of him while he was still rising and has not yet reached the higher spiritual levels he did when in his later years and is an important part of the story. This is traced after a passport photo of him. It was some years after he received the Letter From Heaven.
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 | Intense Contrast
Sabas viewpoint was one that there is no middle ground, either he is who he says he is or the total opposite (what his opponents say). This is why I thought is appropriate to display his portrait with such contrasting color.
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 | Plaid Saba
I love the idea of printing on cloth, I also love the clothing fashion of the early punk scene where plaid was so popular. The anarchist "punk rock" nature of Na Nach is what partly inspired this series. Here is displayed a few clashing patterns together, to exemplify the way Na Nach sometimes "clashes" with the "main-stream" Judaism.
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 | Purple Paisley
I know I went crazy with the color on this one, but I couldn't help it. It might match (or mismatch) with some ones couch. I really wanted to get a feeling of dissonance yet beauty with this. It is like the dissonance that I often feel between the old way of the world and the new light of Na Nach. The more I resolve this dissonance the more comfortable I feel moving into the new higher light that is coming into the world.
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 | Rainbow is the Covenant
The Rainbow is a symbol of the agreement that G-d made not to destroy the world again. For me it is also a symbol of the righteous soul (the Tzadik). It is the breaking down of the bright white light so that it is easier to view. This is why Yosef in the Bible wore a multi-colored coat. He was always involved with talking to common everyday people about G-d. The colorful clothing made him appear less intimidating and easier to connect with. This is similar to the light of Na Nach, it is easy to connect with the joy and dancing that is so central to the service of Na Nach.
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 | Offset Rainbow
Imitating a "silkscreen print accident". The whole event of the miracle of the petek (Letter from Heaven) was through a mishap. Many times what we view as a mistake or fault is really a rise to a higher level. Rebbe Nachman teaches that Many people make the mistake of thinking that they are taking a fall but the truth is really they are growing. Sometimes down is up and sometimes our "faults" are the most beautiful things about our soul.
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 | A Failed Stencil
I really love stencil art. It is cheap and easy to produce and it can go on any surface. I wanted very badly to make a stencil from this image but it just didn't work for me. After struggling for some time, I gave up, but then I looked at the cut and spruced it p with some Na Nach on the side and it looks great. All the lettering is mine. On the right is the signature of Rebbe Na Nach Nachma Nachman MeUman as it appears in the letter from heaven. On the bottom right is a popular symbol that looks like a flame. This sign is often found on many books and music of Rebbe Nachman. Hidden in the flames are the letters that spell "Ha Aish Sheli" meaning "My fire"
Rebbe Nachman said "My fire will flicker until the coming of the messiah". These words were also written by him in the holy Petek.(Letter from Heaven)
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 | Simple black and White 2
I had to do the same thing in black and white, it's cheaper to print. Cheap printing is very important in Na Nach because the idea is to get this light to as many people as possible.
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 | Mystical Blue Eye
Just wanted to make Saba look a little "other worldly" Though there is a prophecy in Na Nach that was written about 50 years before the Petek was received that referred to Saba as a youth with "beautiful eyes" (a man of "vision")
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 | Pop Art Rip Off
The multiple image of Saba hints to the continuous printing of everything Na Nach. The different colors are the very different views that everyone has in Na Nach. Everyone receives what Saba says from where they stand in their spiritual life journey and no two people view these teachings alike.
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 | "Che" Saba
When this image first came out it was met with resistance from some. One of the main criticisms was that I made Saba look like "Che Guevara". The funny thing was I did not even know this name. As soon as I heard this I googled it and immediately recognized the famous face. I did not know much about the details of his life (Che) except that he has become an "icon" of revolution. I though 'what a compliment'. I always considered Saba as THE symbol of revolution in the Torah world. So I quickly looked up a famous silkscreen of his portrait and copied the colors a well as I could. "Viva La Revolucion!"
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 | The Na Nach Spirit is Multiplying
I had to try to fit in as many Sabas as I could. How do you like it?
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