What is the place for beauty in Judaism? On Yom Kippur we chant the famous piyut “Mareh Kohen” describing the Kohen Gadol’s majestic, angelic, beautiful, radiant…appearance! The Beis HaMikdash was a beautiful edifice, and is often described as such. Does this contradict the essential emphasis on spirituality?
The Hebrew word for clothing is beged, but those same letters also can be read as bagad, which means “traitor.” Clothing can be used in two ways: it can bring out the true beauty and dignity of the wearer or mask and misrepresent the person. A rich woman can wear elegant jewels or dress as a beggar; a thief can wear jail stripes or a policeman’s uniform. It depends how one uses the beged.That was the blessing to Yeffes, external beauty, but in the tent of Shem, adorning true spiritual beauty. Beauty must dwell in the tents of Shem.
This distinction explains many elements associated with Chanukah: why the Greeks defiled the Beis HaMikdash instead of destroying it, why the miracle came about by the reveal of a hidden flask (true inner purity), why the Greeks forbade circumcision (which declares that the physical body is subservient to the spiritual soul;it’s no coincidence that this mitzvah is under attack in so many places today. Even the Greeks’ demand that the Torah be translated into their language stemmed from a desire to make our Divine Torah just another “book” that anyone could study.
The real war of the Greek exile was the war of superficiality vs. true content, the external show vs. the internal truth. This battle rages on – advertisements, music and culture barrage us with distorted images of men and women who live to be superficially beautiful in others’ eyes, and are only valued if they succeed. In the non-Jewish world musicians, athletes, politicians, leaders need an “image” and have crews of workers dedicated to cultivating it. On the other hand, Rav Ovadiah and Rav Schach, zt”l, did not have or need make-up artists or spin doctors – none of our Sagesdo – we focus on the inner spiritual beauty.
The Torah life is real inner beauty and meaning, an honest relationship with the Almighty, exciting, enjoyable and truly beautiful: Internal Judaism. We fight for it daily when we look for meaning and devotionin davening, true peace and rest on Shabbos, truth and Divine intentin our learning. The constant battle to be a Torah Jew with good middos!These are not just religious practices or services; these are means to access a deep and vibrant relationship with Hashem. Sometimes we experience this on Yom Kippur, at a wedding or our son’s bris – moments that remind us how much spiritual meaning life has. Our battle is to nurture this feeling and make it more constant in our lives.
We – the few, the proud (but not arrogant!) – can overcome the culture and ideals of the many, but it’s a constant war. May we merit seeing the true beauty of the light of our Chanukah candles, and go out and shine our true radiance daily.