On the one hand, beauty is vain:
שֶׁ֣קֶר הַ֭חֵן וְהֶ֣בֶל הַיֹּ֑פִי אִשָּׁ֥ה יִרְאַת־ה׳ הִ֣יא תִתְהַלָּֽל׃
Grace is deceptive, Beauty is illusory; It is for her fear of the LORD That a woman is to be praised.
On the other hand, there is a concept of Hidur Mitzvah (beautifying mitzvot):
Rabbi Yishmael would agree that the mitzva must be performed as aesthetically as possible. What is the source for the requirement of: “This is my God and I will glorify Him”? As it was taught in a baraita with regard to the verse: “This is my God and I will glorify Him [anveihu], the Lord of my father and I will raise Him up.” The Sages interpreted anveihu homiletically as linguistically related to noi, beauty, and interpreted the verse: Beautify yourself before Him in mitzvot. Even if one fulfills the mitzva by performing it simply, it is nonetheless proper to perform the mitzva as beautifully as possible. Make before Him a beautiful sukka, a beautiful lulav, a beautiful shofar, beautiful ritual fringes, beautiful parchment for a Torah scroll, and write in it in His name in beautiful ink, with a beautiful quill by an expert scribe, and wrap the scroll in beautiful silk fabric.
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: מִצְוַת חֲנוּכָּה, נֵר אִישׁ וּבֵיתוֹ. וְהַמְהַדְּרִין, נֵר לְכׇל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד. וְהַמְהַדְּרִין מִן הַמְהַדְּרִין, בֵּית שַׁמַּאי אוֹמְרִים: יוֹם רִאשׁוֹן מַדְלִיק שְׁמֹנָה, מִכָּאן וְאֵילָךְ פּוֹחֵת וְהוֹלֵךְ. וּבֵית הִלֵּל אוֹמְרִים: יוֹם רִאשׁוֹן מַדְלִיק אַחַת, מִכָּאן וְאֵילָךְ מוֹסִיף וְהוֹלֵךְ.
The Sages taught in a baraita: The basic mitzva of Hanukkah is each day to have a light kindled by a person, the head of the household, for himself and his household. And the mehadrin, i.e., those who are meticulous in the performance of mitzvot, kindle a light for each and every one in the household. And the mehadrin min hamehadrin, who are even more meticulous, adjust the number of lights daily. Beit Shammai and Beit Hillel disagree as to the nature of that adjustment. Beit Shammai say: On the first day one kindles eight lights and, from there on, gradually decreases the number of lights until, on the last day of Hanukkah, he kindles one light. And Beit Hillel say: On the first day one kindles one light, and from there on, gradually increases the number of lights until, on the last day, he kindles eight lights.
This concept of Hidur Mitzvah takes it's language from the Etrog, which is described in the Torah as a "Pri Etz Hadar - the fruit of a beautiful tree."
וּלְקַחְתֶּ֨ם לָכֶ֜ם בַּיּ֣וֹם הָרִאשׁ֗וֹן פְּרִ֨י עֵ֤ץ הָדָר֙ כַּפֹּ֣ת תְּמָרִ֔ים וַעֲנַ֥ף עֵץ־עָבֹ֖ת וְעַרְבֵי־נָ֑חַל וּשְׂמַחְתֶּ֗ם לִפְנֵ֛י ה׳ אֱלֹקֵיכֶ֖ם שִׁבְעַ֥ת יָמִֽים׃
On the first day you shall take the product of hadar trees, branches of palm trees, boughs of leafy trees, and willows of the brook, and you shall rejoice before your God ה׳ seven days.
But the Sages of the Talmud gave a different explanation of the word "HADAR." It is related to the word Endure.
הדר. הַדָּר בְּאִילָנוֹ מִשָּׁנָה לְשָׁנָה, וְזֶהוּ אֶתְרוֹג
הדר — It is called הדר because it is the tree whose fruit remains (הַדָּר) on the tree from one year to another (several years) — and this is the “Etrog” (Sukkah 35a).
Indeed, the Etrog, unlike most fruits, can remain on its tree long after it has ripened. It weathers all storms that come its way, and it remains connected no matter how hot or how cold.
If beauty is in vain, then how do we understand this concept of Hidur Mitzvah, of beautifying our mitzvot. It seems that beauty is not a Jewish value? The answer is that there’s a difference between Yofi and Hidur. Yofi is beauty that is temporary, that doesn’t last. But Hidur isn’t just beauty for the moment – it’s beauty that endures, like the Etrog, the Pri Eitz Hadar.
We find this same concept in the Torah’s command to respect our elders. Because when you see an older person you are seeing Hidur, the beauty of someone who has endured a lot.
מִפְּנֵ֤י שֵׂיבָה֙ תָּק֔וּם וְהָדַרְתָּ֖ פְּנֵ֣י זָקֵ֑ן וְיָרֵ֥אתָ מֵּאֱלֹקֶ֖יךָ אֲנִ֥י ה׳׃
You shall rise before the aged and show deference to the old; you shall fear your God: I am ה׳.
And this is also the idea that we say when we make a siyum, when we complete a section of Torah study. Because the learning we have done will not remain in the past, but will endure.
Reflection #1: What are the beautiful things in your life? Do they last?
Reflection #2: How can you bring more HIDUR into your life?