Seeing God Through the Lens: A Kollel Scholar Who Photographs the Soul of Israel

Evyatar Shai Peda'el is a quiet, diligent, and hardworking kollel student. Indeed, his appearance suits his character and daily occupation — his sidelocks curl alongside his thick beard, his posture is upright yet not proud, his stride energetic, and a near-constant smile rests on his face. Yet none of this reveals his great passion, which is tightly bound to his most personal and profound service of God, a path he has begun to develop with professionalism and great enthusiasm. Evyatar has been deeply involved in photographing the nature and landscapes of the Land of Israel, with a lively, fresh, and playful sense of adventure. And there could be no more fitting time than these days surrounding the New Year for Trees to tell the story of the extraordinary connection between the Holy One, blessed be He, and the wonders of Creation.

“On a daily basis, I mainly study Torah, and I also serve as the technical coordinator at the yeshiva for people returning to Jewish observance, Torat HaChaim in Yad Binyamin,” Evyatar relates. “I grew up in a religious home with warm, simple, and good parents, and I hope I have the merit to say that I am a baal teshuvah — or at least that I strengthened significantly, from the age of seventeen onward.”

When did you start photographing, why, and how does all this connect to your service of God?

“Walking this path — finding the connection between spirituality and nature, is what burned in my heart, and it is what gave rise to Barchi Nafshi, the name of my personal photography project. Even as a child, I was drawn to nature almost unconsciously, contemplating it as something that soothes a thirsty soul longing to be quenched. As I grew older, I gradually pushed this place aside, especially as a young man investing his time in Torah study and character refinement. From time to time, when the desire to go out into nature arose, I tried to ignore it — until it overcame me.”

And what brought about the change?

“After quite a bit of inner struggle, I turned to my teacher and rabbi, Rabbi Shmuel Tal, and shared everything that was in my heart. I tried to be as honest as possible — and still, his answer surprised me: ‘Your soul is calling you. I won’t tell you exactly what to do, but know that in the falling rain, in the fields and trees, in the mountains and streams, God reveals Himself in a simple way, and His delight is that we discover Him there as well.’”

“Once I realized there was an inner truth to this,” Evyatar continues, “I very much wanted to give it concrete expression, to do something with these good longings. So, like a Jew who seeks goodness, I went out into the field to ask God to enlighten me as to what I should do and where to turn. Suddenly, I felt a kind of illumination — photography! I could hardly fall asleep that night. It was clear to me that I could no longer delay, and that even while studying and learning the craft, I needed to find time to go out into open spaces and express what was in my heart through the lens. Truth be told, I want to say that I was granted great Divine assistance in this, and already my very first photographs were special and beautiful, thank God.”

פרח סתיו

Closeness to God

All beginnings are difficult, so it is commonly said. Yet when it comes to matters that touch deep and good places in the soul, there is also much sweetness and light. This is exactly how Evyatar describes his early days in the world of photography.

“From day to day, I felt something good opening up within me. This unique path in nature awakened deep impressions in me, and I felt a tremendous longing for the Creator of all, the foundation of all goodness. The beauty of nature isn’t just beauty for its own sake — there is a simple revelation of God within it. I felt this very strongly: how God hides behind all this beauty, and how Creation calls out in a still, silent voice, ‘And God saw that it was good.’ If I had to sum up photography for me in two words, I would say: closeness to God. My aspiration in photography is to express that closeness to God as much as possible. As a matter of principle, I photograph only the Land of Israel. In our land, you can truly feel closeness to God — in every place and in every aspect.”

רקפות

Why did you decide to photograph only the Land of Israel? There are many beautiful landscapes around the world.

“More than once people told me, ‘Go abroad — there you’ll be able to photograph images you never dreamed of.’ But I thought to myself: no, absolutely not. It’s simply not the same. Maybe there are things to photograph there, but to go to another land just for landscapes? It’s like a foreign woman who doesn’t belong to you. That’s truly how I feel, and that’s also what my rabbi told me. Only here, in this land, can the combination of physicality and spirituality be sanctified. ‘Truth shall spring forth from the earth.’ Beyond that, I feel a very essential connection to the Land of Israel, and my entire engagement with photography comes from that connection. That’s why my photographs are only from this good land. Even though I know I could photograph higher mountains or more powerful streams abroad, to me they are devoid of living spirit. The Land of Israel has its own inner, holy grace, beyond words and external display. One of the great Chassidic masters once said that we must cleave to the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, and it is written: ‘A land upon which the eyes of the Lord your God are always’ — meaning that He constantly looks upon it. Therefore, we too must contemplate the Land of Israel and look upon it.”

שקדיות בפריחה ורודה

Pay Attention to the Soul

It is no secret — and anyone who has ever engaged in amateur or professional photography knows this well, that great effort is required to capture beautiful images. In my conversation with Evyatar, I tried to understand what he feels when he succeeds, and which inner needs this fulfills for him. 

“The ability to capture a moment in the expanses of nature allows me to express the longing that arises within me during this special encounter. When I feel that a photograph is heading in that direction, it brings me great joy. Because when you’re out in nature, everything looks beautiful and full of life, but when you try to photograph the beauty before your eyes, most of the time the image doesn’t fully reflect what you hoped to see through the lens. But if, with God’s help, you manage to capture the right moment, with the right angle and lighting, then you feel that the photograph truly tells its story, making you want to look at it again and again and delight in it.”

צבעי הנחל

When did you first feel that you had become a good photographer, producing high-quality images?

“I feel that there is no limit to how high one can rise in photography, and I constantly have thoughts that the image I took could have been more beautiful or more expressive. That’s why it’s very important for me to strengthen myself in joy over the work of my hands and to praise it, because what God opens up and enables me to do is excellent.

“In general, the most important thing in photography is to search for an image that makes the viewer feel it touches a simple truth within them. Through nature photography, for example, I’ve come to realize that only when you truly contemplate nature do you actually discover it. Fallen leaves or a bird on a tree branch usually don’t occupy us, but nature has something to say — and whoever turns to see it discovers an astonishing Creation and the wisdom of God within it.”

ושמחת

On your website you combine biblical verses with your photographs. Why?

“The verses I add to some of the images express a kind of call that I find within the photograph, and on a broader level, they express the idea that connection to God is the most colorful and beautiful connection there is. These are usually verses that strengthen me in my own life and resonate within me when I look at the photographs.”

Do you recommend photography to people who are looking for a hobby connected to their service of God?

“The answer is that each person needs to listen to themselves, to the gentle soul within, and give it what it asks for — without blocking it. For me, that inner voice of the soul clearly calls for photography. And thank God, today, after more than four years of monthly photography, I have already accumulated about 120 unique photographs of landscapes and nature from this land. By the way, every photograph that reaches the final stage of publication on my website, first passes the test of my wife. She has an exceptionally artistic eye.”