What do you know about the relationship between Judaism and art?
(טו) וְנִשְׁמַרְתֶּ֥ם מְאֹ֖ד לְנַפְשֹׁתֵיכֶ֑ם כִּ֣י לֹ֤א רְאִיתֶם֙ כׇּל־תְּמוּנָ֔ה בְּי֗וֹם דִּבֶּ֨ר יְהֹוָ֧ה אֲלֵיכֶ֛ם בְּחֹרֵ֖ב מִתּ֥וֹךְ הָאֵֽשׁ׃ (טז) פֶּ֨ן־תַּשְׁחִת֔וּן וַעֲשִׂיתֶ֥ם לָכֶ֛ם פֶּ֖סֶל תְּמוּנַ֣ת כׇּל־סָ֑מֶל תַּבְנִ֥ית זָכָ֖ר א֥וֹ נְקֵבָֽה׃ (יז) תַּבְנִ֕ית כׇּל־בְּהֵמָ֖ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר בָּאָ֑רֶץ תַּבְנִית֙ כׇּל־צִפּ֣וֹר כָּנָ֔ף אֲשֶׁ֥ר תָּע֖וּף בַּשָּׁמָֽיִם׃ (יח) תַּבְנִ֕ית כׇּל־רֹמֵ֖שׂ בָּאֲדָמָ֑ה תַּבְנִ֛ית כׇּל־דָּגָ֥ה אֲשֶׁר־בַּמַּ֖יִם מִתַּ֥חַת לָאָֽרֶץ׃
(15) For your own sake, therefore, be most careful—since you saw no shape when יהוה spoke to you at Horeb out of the fire— (16) not to act wickedly and make for yourselves a sculptured image in any likeness whatever: the form of a man or a woman, (17) the form of any beast on earth, the form of any winged bird that flies in the sky, (18) the form of anything that creeps on the ground, the form of any fish that is in the waters below the earth.—
Mishnah Avodah Zarah 3:4
Even if you were given a large sum of money, you would not enter the presence of your idol while you were nude nor would you urinate before it. But this [statue of Aphrodite, a Greek God] stands by a sewer and all people urinate before it…What is treated as our God is prohibited, what is not treated as our God is permitted.
Even if you were given a large sum of money, you would not enter the presence of your idol while you were nude nor would you urinate before it. But this [statue of Aphrodite, a Greek God] stands by a sewer and all people urinate before it…What is treated as our God is prohibited, what is not treated as our God is permitted.
Exodus 15:2
עָזִּ֤י וְזִמְרָת֙ יָ֔הּ וַֽיְהִי־לִ֖י לִֽישׁוּעָ֑ה זֶ֤ה אֵלִי֙ וְאַנְוֵ֔הוּ אֱלֹהֵ֥י אָבִ֖י וַאֲרֹמְמֶֽנְהוּ׃
God is my strength and might; God has become my deliverance. This is my God and I will beautify God; The God of my parent, and I will exalt God!
Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 133b
And it was taught: “This is my God and I will beautify God.” Make before God a beautiful sukkah, a beautiful lulav, a beautiful shofar, beautiful ritual. fringes, beautiful parchment for a Torah scroll, and write in it in God’s name in beautiful ink, with a beautiful quill by an expert scribe, and wrap the scroll in beautiful silk fabric.
Profiat Duran, 14th century Spanish Grammarian
Study should always be in beautiful books, pleasant for the beauty and the splendor of their scripts and parchments with elegant ornaments and covers. And the places for study should be desirable, the study halls beautifully built so that people’s love and desire for study will increase. Memory will also improve since contemplation and study occur amidst beautifully developed forms and beautiful drawings, with the result that the soul will expand and be encouraged and strengthen its powers…It is also obligatory and appropriate to enhance the books of God and to direct oneself to their beauty, splendor, and loveliness. Just as God wished to adorn the place of his sanctuary with gold, silver, and precious stones, so is this appropriate for His holy books, especially the book which is “His Sanctuary” [the Bible].
עָזִּ֤י וְזִמְרָת֙ יָ֔הּ וַֽיְהִי־לִ֖י לִֽישׁוּעָ֑ה זֶ֤ה אֵלִי֙ וְאַנְוֵ֔הוּ אֱלֹהֵ֥י אָבִ֖י וַאֲרֹמְמֶֽנְהוּ׃
God is my strength and might; God has become my deliverance. This is my God and I will beautify God; The God of my parent, and I will exalt God!
Babylonian Talmud Shabbat 133b
And it was taught: “This is my God and I will beautify God.” Make before God a beautiful sukkah, a beautiful lulav, a beautiful shofar, beautiful ritual. fringes, beautiful parchment for a Torah scroll, and write in it in God’s name in beautiful ink, with a beautiful quill by an expert scribe, and wrap the scroll in beautiful silk fabric.
Profiat Duran, 14th century Spanish Grammarian
Study should always be in beautiful books, pleasant for the beauty and the splendor of their scripts and parchments with elegant ornaments and covers. And the places for study should be desirable, the study halls beautifully built so that people’s love and desire for study will increase. Memory will also improve since contemplation and study occur amidst beautifully developed forms and beautiful drawings, with the result that the soul will expand and be encouraged and strengthen its powers…It is also obligatory and appropriate to enhance the books of God and to direct oneself to their beauty, splendor, and loveliness. Just as God wished to adorn the place of his sanctuary with gold, silver, and precious stones, so is this appropriate for His holy books, especially the book which is “His Sanctuary” [the Bible].
From Patuach Sagur Patuach, Yehuda Amichai
A collection of ritual objects in the museum: spice boxes
With little flags on top like festive troops
And many fragrant generations of sacrifice,
And the memory of many Sabbath exits that did not exit in death
And happy menorahs and weepy menorahs and oil lamps
With the beaks of chicks pouting like children singing,
Their mouths wide open in desire and love.
And long metal hands to point out everything
That is no more. The human hands that held them—
Long since underground, severed from their bodies
seder plates that rotate at the speed of time,
so it seems they are standing still, and Kiddush cups
in a row in the shelf like soccer trophies
Or victory cups from the track and field of generations.
A collection of ritual objects in the museum: spice boxes
With little flags on top like festive troops
And many fragrant generations of sacrifice,
And the memory of many Sabbath exits that did not exit in death
And happy menorahs and weepy menorahs and oil lamps
With the beaks of chicks pouting like children singing,
Their mouths wide open in desire and love.
And long metal hands to point out everything
That is no more. The human hands that held them—
Long since underground, severed from their bodies
seder plates that rotate at the speed of time,
so it seems they are standing still, and Kiddush cups
in a row in the shelf like soccer trophies
Or victory cups from the track and field of generations.
Which lines stand out to you in this poem? What is this poem saying? What can it teach us about how Jews historically value ritual objects?
What is a ritual object that you own that is particularly important to you?
(ל) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר מֹשֶׁה֙ אֶל־בְּנֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל רְא֛וּ קָרָ֥א יְהֹוָ֖ה בְּשֵׁ֑ם בְּצַלְאֵ֛ל בֶּן־אוּרִ֥י בֶן־ח֖וּר לְמַטֵּ֥ה יְהוּדָֽה׃ (לא) וַיְמַלֵּ֥א אֹת֖וֹ ר֣וּחַ אֱלֹהִ֑ים בְּחׇכְמָ֛ה בִּתְבוּנָ֥ה וּבְדַ֖עַת וּבְכׇל־מְלָאכָֽה׃ (לב) וְלַחְשֹׁ֖ב מַֽחֲשָׁבֹ֑ת לַעֲשֹׂ֛ת בַּזָּהָ֥ב וּבַכֶּ֖סֶף וּבַנְּחֹֽשֶׁת׃ (לג) וּבַחֲרֹ֥שֶׁת אֶ֛בֶן לְמַלֹּ֖את וּבַחֲרֹ֣שֶׁת עֵ֑ץ לַעֲשׂ֖וֹת בְּכׇל־מְלֶ֥אכֶת מַחֲשָֽׁבֶת׃
(30) And Moses said to the Israelites: See, יהוה has singled out by name Bezalel, son of Uri son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, (31) endowing him with a divine spirit of skill, ability, and knowledge in every kind of craft, (32) and inspiring him to make designs for work in gold, silver, and copper, (33) to cut stones for setting and to carve wood—to work in every kind of designer’s craft—
(ו) כִּֽי־יְ֭הֹוָה יִתֵּ֣ן חׇכְמָ֑ה מִ֝פִּ֗יו דַּ֣עַת וּתְבוּנָֽה׃
(6) For the LORD grants wisdom;
Knowledge and discernment are by God's decree.
Babylonian Talmud Megillah 14a
There is no artist like our God. Humanity fashions a form upon a wall but is unable to endow it with breath and a soul, or fill it with innards and intestines whereas the Holy One, Blessed be God fashions a form inside the form and endows it with a breath and a soul and with innards and intestines.
There is no artist like our God. Humanity fashions a form upon a wall but is unable to endow it with breath and a soul, or fill it with innards and intestines whereas the Holy One, Blessed be God fashions a form inside the form and endows it with a breath and a soul and with innards and intestines.
Lawrence Kushner and Kerry M. Olitzky, Sparks Beneath the Surface
In the building of the Tabernacle, all Israel were joined in their hearts; no one felt superior to his fellow. At first, each skilled individual did his own part of the construction, and it seemed to each one that his own work was extraordinary. Afterward, they saw how their several contributions to the “service” of the tabernacle were integrated–all the boards, the sockets, the curtains, and the loops fit together as if one person had done it all. Then they realized how each of them had depended on the other. They then understood that what they had accomplished was not by virtue of their own skill alone, but that the Holy One had guided the hands of everyone who had worked on the Tabernacle.
In the building of the Tabernacle, all Israel were joined in their hearts; no one felt superior to his fellow. At first, each skilled individual did his own part of the construction, and it seemed to each one that his own work was extraordinary. Afterward, they saw how their several contributions to the “service” of the tabernacle were integrated–all the boards, the sockets, the curtains, and the loops fit together as if one person had done it all. Then they realized how each of them had depended on the other. They then understood that what they had accomplished was not by virtue of their own skill alone, but that the Holy One had guided the hands of everyone who had worked on the Tabernacle.