A Jewish Esthetic
STUDENT SUMMARIES OF SICHOT OF THE ROSHEI YESHIVA
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Dedicated in memory of
Joseph Y. Nadler, zl, Yosef ben Yechezkel Tzvi
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Parashat TETZAVEH
SICHA OF HARAV
A Jewish Esthetic
Adapted by
Translated by
And you shall make holy garments for Aharon your brother, for honor and for
splendor. (Shemot 28:2)
This verse evokes the splendor
and beauty of the priestly garments. The Torahs description of these garments
leads us to conclude that the Torah takes a positive view of elegance and
grandeur, as least in connection with the
This is my God and I shall adorn Him [this means,] adorn yourself before
Him, with the commandments. (Shabbat 133b)
There are two aspects of
hiddur mitzva. In some areas, the concept refers to complete or perfect
fulfillment of the commandment. This has nothing to do with esthetics: on
Chanuka, for example, lighting more candles is defined as hiddur mitzva
although there is no esthetic advantage of two candles over one. However, there
are areas where hiddur mitzva means, literally, beautifying our
fulfillment of the commandment such as in choosing the four species (lulav,
hadas, arava and etrog) for Sukkot. It may be that importance of physically
beautifying this mitzva lies in the fact that the four species are meant to
express praise and thanks to God. When we approach God to give praise to Him, we
should do so in the most dignified manner possible. (The Rishonim likewise
explain that this is why the concept of a mitzva that comes about through
transgression applies to a lulav, whereas in some other instances it does not.)
In this regard, the four species are like the
The idea of beauty itself
would seem to comprise two aspects.
1.
A person who comes
before God should do so in a dignified manner: Adorn yourself before Him with
the commandments. In a number of places, the Gemara explains various
stringencies related to sacrifices on the basis of the verse (speaking of
kodashim kalim), Were you to offer it now to your governor, would he be
pleased with you or show you favor? (Malakhi 1:8). Sacrifices should be
offered in the proper manner, and an offering should not be defective.
2.
There are expressions
of hiddur mitzva which are required in and of themselves, with no
connection to mans subjective intentions. A Sefer Torah, for example, must be
written clearly and with well-formed letters; this has nothing to do with the
scribes closeness to God, nor that of the reader. The same applies to the
esthetic beauty of the
From a more general
perspective, too, we may say that Judaism views beauty and esthetics in a
positive light. The Gemara (Berakhot 57) teaches that three things
expand a persons consciousness: a beautiful dwelling, a beautiful wife, and
beautiful utensils.
Likewise, the Torah takes
pains to describe the beauty of our matriarchs (and of Esther). The aspiration
in Judaism is to combine external esthetics with an inner, spiritual beauty.
We might have concluded from
the above that any act of Divine service should preferably include beauty and
grandeur, but it would seem that this is not so. In this regard, we must take
care not to equate the
In summary, the
(This sicha was delivered on Shabbat Parashat Tetzaveh 5755 [1995].)