Jewish Life #62. Sjemot #17: The Beauty of Holiness

Some people sometimes ask me: Is it really true that Judaism attaches little or no importance to the aesthetic and emphasizes the ethical and the higher intellectual functions of man? The answer is a simple 'yes (but)'.
 
The high appreciation for the aesthetic is mainly an alien matter to Judaism. In general, Judaism, is skeptical about appearances. In the ancient cultures, for example Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Rome, the aesthetic dimension is present in all facets of society and culture. They built monumental palaces and temples, and the royal court were marked by beautiful robes and crowns. People, mostly men, were judged by their appearance. Physical appearance was what the judgment was about. The many statues of beautiful men are an example of this. Everything that concerns perception and the appreciation of the beautiful takes a prominent place. Whether it concerns the beauty in art or the beauty of a person (read: man), the eye is considered the most important sense. Judaism tended to devalue the visual in favour of the oral and aural. Rabbi Jonathan Sacks comments: words heard, rather than appearances seen. 
 
In this week’s parashah Pekudei, the last parashah of the Book of Sjemot (Exodus) we read about the finalization of the building of the Tabernacle. In a commentary of Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik (the Rav), the following question is asked: ‘What was the difference between the golden calf and the Tabernacle?’ The Rav shows that in the building of the golden calf, the nation felt the need to have the deity rest in some type of object of structure. In the case of building the Tabernacle, everything was assembled and put in place, affirmed by the statement ‘as the Lord commanded Moshe’ (for example verse 39:1b). Every move was commanded. All cultic performances and ceremonies introduced by humans, the Rav emphasis, are guided solely by aesthetics. The golden calf is an excellent example of this. 
 
Many religions, like Christianity, use an organ in their religious services, introduced not to enhance the service but to enhance the aesthetic of the experience. If, for example, one comes home on Friday night after sunset, yet still lights Shabbat candles, the motivation is not religious but aesthetic. The religious act, the Rav states, thus becomes profane. 
 
The golden calf was motivated by aesthetics, and using aesthetics as the basis for religious service constitutes idolatry. 
 
Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch shows, in line with Soloveitchik's commentary, that the emphasis in building the Tabernacle is not on the aesthetic but on the ethical. The craftsmen and artisans, like Betzalel, were careful to follow God’s instructions precisely: they did not take any aspect of the design lightly. No man attempted to impose his personal subjective vision onto the Tabernacle by adding material or ignoring some idea associated with the labor. The instruction was followed in detail by listening carefully (the ear), not by looking closely (the eye). It was this very thoroughness in their submission to God which was the reward for the people’s efforts. To accept God’s instructions represents, according to Hirsch, true freedom and is the hallmark of the fully liberated person. One who is willing to accept the authority of the Eternal (and listen carefully) is absolute free. One who lives in this way shows that he has reached the highest level of ethical achievement- subordination as the servant of God. 
 
 
If we let the above sink in, it seems as if the aesthetic dimension in Judaism is not important at all. In my opinion, this would be an incorrect conclusion. Despite its skepticism, Judaism is not entirely averse to beauty and outward display. If we look closely, there is certainly room for beauty. The Tabernacle, to which the artist Betzalel contributed so brilliantly, was a feast for the eyes. Music was important in the Temple service, and in religious life there are many examples that show an appreciation for aesthetics, for example in prayer. 
 
The essential difference between aesthetics within Judaism and other cultures is that within the Jewish way of life, beauty is always connected with the service of God. Judaism does not believe in art for art’s sake. We do not believe in the holiness of beauty, but in the beauty of holiness (hadrat kodesh). For beauty inspires love, and from love flows the service of the heart, Rabbi Sacks says.  This is a diametrically different view and way of life than, for example, in Greek or Roman culture.
 
Judaism believes in the beauty of holiness. 
 
 
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