Art buffs in Midtown Miami’s chic Wynwood district are discovering something different at Maor, a local gallery dedicated to Jewish themes. 

Rabbi Shmuel and Chana Gopin, directors of Chabad in Midtown Miami opened the gallery adjacent to their Chabad Center at 3030 NE Second Avenue. In the gallery’s first exhibit, “Light and Motion,” on December 2, Daniel Azoulay showcased his photography representing the message of Chanukah in the continuous motion and increase of light.

“The world of art can contradict Judaism. Art is all about freedom and self-expression, not of acceptance of any authority; you can’t tell an artist what to do,” says Rabbi Gopin.

Yet in a city with a large Jewish population that never had a Jewish art gallery, the Gopins are finding a way to engage local art enthusiasts with Jewish themes. Every second Saturday evening of the month, a new exhibit is unveiled at the 1800 square foot gallery.

The ambience is hip, modern and 2011, but the art is inspired by Jewish and Kabalistic ideas. Felipe Grimberg, a private art dealer in Miami says it is “a place with big potential to establish itself as the encounter of cultures and religion.”

That encounter is what motivated Gopin to embark on this $45,000 project: “The fact that art is so unlimited and abstract is what makes it the perfect medium to express deep mystical concepts,” Gopin says.

In ‘Las Escaleras,’ for example, Argentine artist Marisa Leicach used oil on canvas to paint a spiral staircase symbolic of the constant forward movement in life in search of answers, “toward the source at the top of the staircase, which is the upper worlds and G-d,” she says.

“My work is conceptual, so I start with a sketch based on an idea that I’ve studied in Kabbala, which I learn frequently. The finished drawing is an expression of that text, and I often keep it abstract so that people could look deeper into the piece in order to understand the deeper meaning,” explains Leicach, whose work was exhibited from January 8 to February 8.

Though the art is mostly abstract, it is meant to inspire real Jewish growth. Admission to the not-for-profit gallery is free, and next-door at the Chabad Center, visitors can choose from classes and social programs the Gopins offer. Couches and outdoor seating areas make Maor an inviting place to linger and chat with friends against a backdrop of soft music.

“They’ve hit the right balance of content and spirituality,” says Stephanie Spiegel, director of marketing at Maor. “People are hungry for art down here.”

Named Maor—Hebrew for “luminary” refers to the Kabbalistic concept that our souls contain holy sparks scattered by G-d, the “luminary.” This is the running commentary implicit in every exhibit.

At “Yes, No, Maybe,” a mixed-media exhibit set to open next Saturday evening, Rabbi Gopin will formally open the gallery and present benefactors Moris and Lillian Tabacinic with an award for their founding donation.

Lisa Shepherd, owner of an alternative beauty care line Prasada Beauty will be there. The fusion of art and Jewish substance appeals to her.

“What they do at Maor is very tasteful, and they have tremendous style about it all. It’s a great way to bring the beauty of religion without compromising any of the laws