'The Four Who Entered Paradise' is based on a legend germane to the Jewish mystical tradition. This tale has inspired scholarly interpretation and controversy from Talmudic times through the eras of Kabbalah and Eastern European Hasidism (the setting I have chosen for this painting) to the present. ‘The Four Who Entered Paradise' relates in symbolic detail the methods and results of an attempt by four eminent sages to reclaim a book given to Adam after his expulsion from Eden (Paradise) by the Angel Raziel. This fabulous volume, engraved on sapphire, was said to contain all the secret wisdom of the earth and heavens. It is mentioned periodically in Biblical commentaries from antiquity as having been passed down from Adam to Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, although King Solomon may have been the last major player to benefit from its magic before it finally disappeared. In essence, the legend serves as both a key to the process of spiritual development and as a cautionary tale to those who would attempt an esoteric level of study and meditation without intellectual maturity and proper guidance. This painting represents a new direction I have begun to explore as artist, illustrator and perpetual student of my ancestral legacy.