The Etrog and Jewish Beauty

Judaism's surprising definition of beauty.

Every civilization and every philosophical system searches for the meaning of beauty. In classical Western thought, "pursuit of the Beautiful" is deemed to be as basic as the quest for the Good and the True. Contemporary culture has been profoundly influenced by this perspective. To this day, the striving for beauty is a dominant and desirable component of an accomplished individual -- an ideal to be devoutly pursued.

At first glance, it would seem that the enshrinement of beauty as a value in and of itself is not a major Jewish priority. The oft-quoted phrase, taken in isolation, "beauty is vanity" (Proverbs 31:30), seems, on a cursory level, to cast beauty in a negative light.

It seems to me, however, that a compelling argument ought to be made for the vital and central role that beauty occupies in the Jewish worldview. In order to do so, we must show that, for Judaism, beauty is something unique, and means something entirely different than in all other thought systems.

What, then, is distinct and singular about the Jewish concept of beauty? To answer this, one looks to the Torah to find the sources of the Jewish idea of beauty. Like all abstract theories in Judaism which ultimately find their expression in concrete mitzvot, the idea of beauty, as well, finds a tangible realization in the central mitzvot of the holiday of Sukkot. The Torah requires: "And you shall take unto yourselves on the first day [of Sukkot] a fruit of a beautiful tree (pri etz hadar)."

The Talmud (Sukkot 35a) wishes to define what constitutes a "beautiful tree" by analyzing the Hebrew word for beautiful, "hadar." The sages conclude that it is the etrog tree, because the word "hadar" is interpreted to be a fruit which "dwells continuously all year on the tree" (ha-dar, literally, "that which dwells"). Thus, they understand the word "dar" to mean the opposite of temporary or intermittent residence; rather, it implies permanence, a continuous process through time (similar to the French "duree" or the English "endure").

Beauty is the indomitable power of life, the determination to live on despite all difficulties, the drive for eternity.

The etrog tree fulfils this requirement of constant dwelling, for most other fruits are seasonal, but the etrog grows, blossoms and produces fruit throughout all the seasons: in the heat and the cold, in the wind and in storm -- it stubbornly persists! It endures! And in the Jewish view, that is why it is beautiful.

Beauty, then, in classical Jewish sources, means the indomitable power of life, the determination to live on despite all difficulties, the affirmation of the victory of life over death, the drive for eternity.

ETERNAL BEAUTY

In this light, we can understand another striking mitzvah in the Torah. Concerning the obligation to honor the elderly, the Torah states: "ve'HADAR'ta p'nei zakein," which is usually translated "and honor the face of the old person." The word hadar, however, literally means "beauty", so what the verse is actually telling us is to ascribe beauty to the old face.

What is beautiful about an old face? This very idea contradicts the basic attitude of Western civilization which, since the time of the ancient Greeks, has always associated beauty with youth. In the contemporary Western world, the entire cosmetic industry is predicated on making people appear young, if they wish to look beautiful. The attempt is precisely to make the old face seem younger. Yet the Torah ascribes beauty to the old face, precisely because it expresses the ongoing triumph of a life which endured and persisted throughout the arduous passage of time.

How much determination, courage and will to live do we see in an old face! In this regard, the Talmud (Kiddushin 33a) tells us: Rabbi Yochanan used to stand up even before aged Aramean heathens saying, "How many troubles have passed over these." The Torah, thus, requires us to see in aging persons, not that they are fading away into oblivion, but to recognize in them the unremitting surge to live, and of the yearning of the immortal soul deep within each individual for eternity.

Therefore, Beauty in the Jewish worldview is not a value to be understood in isolation. It is not an attempt, as in other aesthetic systems, to merely "capture the moment," with its concomitant glorification of youth and the attempt to preserve it for all time. In Judaism, beauty inheres in the basic Jewish historical sensibility: the palpable experience of apprehending the eternal in the flow of passing time.

BEAUTIFUL OLIVES

In a similar vein, the Menorah, which is central in the service of the Holy Temple, and which has become a symbol of the Jewish people itself, is described in the Torah as "ner tamid," an eternal light. The source in the Torah reads: "And you (Moses) shall command the children of Israel that they bring unto you pure olive oil beaten for lighting to make a light shine out continuously." (Exodus 27:20)

The Sages of the Midrash point out that the olive -- the beaten olive -- whose oil burns continuously, is the true symbol of Israel. The Midrash quotes the verse in Jeremiah (11:16): "The Lord called thy name (Israel) a leafy olive tree, beautiful with goodly fruit," and the Midrash asks, why is it the olive tree with which Israel is identified?

The answer given is that Israel is uniquely similar in many of its essential characteristics to the fruit of the olive tree. The olive is beaten, pressed, ground down, and then it produces its oil which gives rise to glowing light. So, too, the people of Israel: Despite all the oppression, cruelty and exile visited upon them, they are not destroyed. Rather, they continue to shine on magnificently, ever brighter.

It is significant that in the passage quoted, Jeremiah declares not only the dauntless character of Israel's persistence in the face of every hardship, but defines this quality as being the very source of Israel's beauty -- "leafy olive tree, beautiful with goodly fruit..."

PERSISTENCE & COMPLETION

When we complete the study of a tractate of the Talmud, we recite "HADRAN alach -- we shall return to you." We proclaim that our studies and the knowledge gained will not simply slip into the past, but that we shall continuously go back, revive, rejuvenate and find new meanings in our past learning. The very word hadran, from the root hadar, thus has basically the same meaning as the word hadar, as we now understand it. To continually persist and to be beautiful are identical!

The holiday of Sukkot dramatizes the paradoxical idea that while on the one hand, we are to recognize the temporary and transient nature of human existence on earth by residing in temporary sukkah booths, at the same time, we are to affirm the immortality of life and the eternity of Israel by taking hold of the ever-enduring etrog. The dialectic tension in these contradictory elements establishes the framework of our comprehension and experience of the beautiful. Discovering, affirming and struggling in the face of implacable difficulties, in the face of mutability and death itself, for the realization of the eternal, creates the Jewish sense of beauty...

The ultimate beauty of Israel itself lies in the triumph of its eternity.

Reprinted with permission from Jewish Action, the magazine of the Orthodox Union.

About the Author

Visitor Comments: 12

(11)
Joey,
October 28, 2013 7:15 AM

Fascinating insights! Thank you and God bless!

(10)
Wendy,
September 15, 2013 10:48 PM

A different view

All the emails above are wonderful and deep.

I'm not going that route, beauty sometimes connotates the most shallow. To appreciate superficial beauty and inner beauty in the same person is amazing.Jewish ppl and Israel have both inner beauty & outer beauty. The outer beauty is the diversity of our ppl. So unique to have so many different beauties from everywhere on the planet. The inner beauty is the strength and kindness of our ppl. Truly amazing. I've seen Jews displaying chesed in ways that have truly moved me forever. And those who aren't beauties by Western standards are beauties by Torah standards because of the Love & Light that they consistently share.Am Yisrel Chai!!

(9)
Robert Ridley,
October 11, 2011 11:25 PM

This says what I have sought for years to convey about beauty!

I look into the beautiful face of my precious wife of 39 years and see unparalleled beauty in every feature. Truly beauty is found in the persistence and faithfulness of her service to her family. "How many troubles have passed over these!" Thank you, Rabbi Schmidman, for these gracious words!

(8)
ruth housman,
October 11, 2011 12:12 PM

around this most beautiful world

there are many same and different explications and awesome statements about the spirituality that is beauty, and surely the lines, the wrinkles in time, on any man's face, tell a story, a deep heroic story, of how they got to be here, that journey of soul, and sole. The word grounded, which means to have one's roots firmly in the soil, to not be too flighty, in the word split, sounds out ground dead. There is this inexplicable beauty to woods themselves, containing a bipolarity of the wisdom of the ages, as explicated in this lovely article. There is a paradox here, that what lives is also part of what is dying. When I visit my garden, after the fall, I see, in the myriad spent flowers, the seed pods, and a beauty within the withering, that is also symmetry, also inexplicably, beautiful. Look to for example, the gold casings of the clematis when it's spent flowering.
There is beauty everywhere, within decay too, and always the promise of another spring, being also Rebecca's well and that Biblical story that brough us forward.
It's all ONE, and when you truly perceive this, you have entered the Garden again. Gan Eden.
This Sukkot marvel at Creation. Sit under those stars and simply feel the smallness and the eternal in the words themselves, Enduring Creation. Because they do contain this doubling of meaning. MIrar, mirror, To Wonder!

(7)
Anonymous,
September 5, 2011 11:15 AM

re-jew-venation!

Thankyou for your excellent article on the true essence of beauty, I would like to point out though, that perhaps the idea of youthful beauty is not, in fact, a greek concept, but a very Jewish one, as we see that Sara Imeinu was described as having the innocent beauty of a 7 year old, at the age of 127!, and also Yocheved, , around the time of giving birth to Moshe Rabbeinu at the awesome age of 130, was also noted in the Midrash to have been rejuvenated.
It's true that the IDEAL beauty may not be of the physical variety,but I think it's fair to comment that it's not purely a Greek concept either.

Dvirah,
November 16, 2013 8:07 PM

Clarification

The "innocent" beauty of a 7 year old does not connote physical beauty but spiritual beauty - enthusiasim and the sense of wonder that children have and adults frequently lose. Yocheved's rejuvination was probably necessary to give her the physical strength needed to carry another child at her advanced age; also perhaps to facilitate her reconciliation with her husband after the threatened divorce (see commentaries for the full story).

(6)
Anonymous,
November 14, 2006 8:30 PM

Fascinating!

I sent this to my daughter, a freshman in college! How wonderful to know how to recognize real beauty! Thank you!

(5)
Alex,
October 29, 2006 2:02 PM

How Beautiful article!

This moved me..

(4)
Anonymous,
October 9, 2006 10:07 PM

beautiful!

What can i say? It is simply beautiful and awe inspiring! thank you!

(3)
julie,
October 7, 2006 7:16 PM

beauty for ashes

valuable insight you bring--thank you!

(2)
Anonymous,
October 6, 2006 6:08 PM

It is a beautiful and inspiring article, dear not only to senior citizens, like me, but to everyone who searches for the meaning of life.

(1)
donnaherman,
October 3, 2006 9:28 AM

all articles excellent.

always looking forward to the new atticles from aish. they are superb shalom donna

I'm told that it's a mitzvah to become intoxicated on Purim. This puzzles me, because to my understanding, it is not considered a good thing to become intoxicated, period.

One of the characteristics of the at-risk youth is their use of drugs, including alcohol. In my experience, getting drunk doesn't reveal secrets. It makes people act stupid and irresponsible, doing things they would never do if they were sober. Also, I know a lot about the horrible health effects of abusing alcohol, because I work at a research center that focuses on addiction and substance abuse.

Also, I am an alcoholic, which means that if I drink, very bad things happen. I have not had a drink in 22 years, and I have no intention of starting now. Surely there must be instances where a person is excused from the obligation to drink. I don't see how Judaism could ever promote the idea of getting drunk. It just doesn't seem right.

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Putting aside for a moment all the spiritual and philosophical reasons for getting drunk on Purim, this remains an issue of common sense. Of course, teenagers should be warned of the dangers of acute alcohol ingestion. Of course, nobody should drink and drive. Of course, nobody should become so drunk to the point of negligence in performing mitzvot. And of course, a recovering alcoholic should not partake of alcohol on Purim.

Indeed, the Code of Jewish Law explicitly says that if one suspects the drinking may affect him negatively, then he should NOT drink.

Getting drunk on Purim is actually one of the most difficult mitzvot to do correctly. A person should only drink if it will lead to positive spiritual results - e.g. under the loosening affect of the alcohol, greater awareness will surface of the love for God and Torah found deep in the heart. (Perhaps if we were on a higher spiritual level, we wouldn't need to get drunk!)

Yet the Talmud still speaks of an obligation on Purim of "not knowing the difference between Blessed is Mordechai and Cursed is Haman." How then should a person who doesn't drink get the point of “not knowing”? Simple - just go to sleep! (Rama - OC 695:2)

All this applies to individuals. But the question remains - does drinking on Purim adversely affect the collective social health of the Jewish community?

The aversion to alcoholism is engrained into Jewish consciousness from a number of Biblical and Talmudic sources. There are the rebuking words of prophets - Isaiah 28:1, Hosea 3:1 with Rashi, and Amos 6:6, and the Zohar says that "The wicked stray after wine" (Midrash Ne'alam Parshat Vayera).

It is well known that the rate of alcoholism among Jews has historically been very low. Numerous medical, psychological and sociological studies have confirmed this. The connection between Judaism and sobriety is so evident, that the following conversation is reported by Lawrence Kelemen in "Permission to Receive":

When Dr. Mark Keller, editor of the Quarterly Journal of Studies on Alcohol, commented that "practically all Jews do drink, and yet all the world knows that Jews hardly ever become alcoholics," his colleague, Dr. Howard Haggard, director of Yale's Laboratory of Applied Physiology, jokingly proposed converting alcoholics to the Jewish religion in order to immerse them in a culture with healthy attitudes toward drinking!

Perhaps we could suggest that it is precisely because of the use of alcohol in traditional ceremonies (Kiddush, Bris, Purim, etc.), that Jews experience such low rates of alcoholism. This ceremonial usage may actually act like an inoculation - i.e. injecting a safe amount that keeps the disease away.

Of course, as we said earlier, all this needs to be monitored with good common sense. Yet in my personal experience - having been in the company of Torah scholars who were totally drunk on Purim - they acted with extreme gentleness and joy. Amid the Jewish songs and beautiful words of Torah, every year the event is, for me, very special.

Adar 12 marks the dedication of Herod's renovations on the second Holy Temple in Jerusalem in 11 BCE. Herod was king of Judea in the first century BCE who constructed grand projects like the fortresses at Masada and Herodium, the city of Caesarea, and fortifications around the old city of Jerusalem. The most ambitious of Herod's projects was the re-building of the Temple, which was in disrepair after standing over 300 years. Herod's renovations included a huge man-made platform that remains today the largest man-made platform in the world. It took 10,000 men 10 years just to build the retaining walls around the Temple Mount; the Western Wall that we know today is part of that retaining wall. The Temple itself was a phenomenal site, covered in gold and marble. As the Talmud says, "He who has not seen Herod's building, has never in his life seen a truly grand building."

Some people gauge the value of themselves by what they own. But in reality, the entire concept of ownership of possessions is based on an illusion. When you obtain a material object, it does not become part of you. Ownership is merely your right to use specific objects whenever you wish.

How unfortunate is the person who has an ambition to cleave to something impossible to cleave to! Such a person will not obtain what he desires and will experience suffering.

Fortunate is the person whose ambition it is to acquire personal growth that is independent of external factors. Such a person will lead a happy and rewarding life.

With exercising patience you could have saved yourself 400 zuzim (Berachos 20a).

This Talmudic proverb arose from a case where someone was fined 400 zuzim because he acted in undue haste and insulted some one.

I was once pulling into a parking lot. Since I was a bit late for an important appointment, I was terribly annoyed that the lead car in the procession was creeping at a snail's pace. The driver immediately in front of me was showing his impatience by sounding his horn. In my aggravation, I wanted to join him, but I saw no real purpose in adding to the cacophony.

When the lead driver finally pulled into a parking space, I saw a wheelchair symbol on his rear license plate. He was handicapped and was obviously in need of the nearest parking space. I felt bad that I had harbored such hostile feelings about him, but was gratified that I had not sounded my horn, because then I would really have felt guilty for my lack of consideration.

This incident has helped me to delay my reactions to other frustrating situations until I have more time to evaluate all the circumstances. My motives do not stem from lofty principles, but from my desire to avoid having to feel guilt and remorse for having been foolish or inconsiderate.

Today I shall...

try to withhold impulsive reaction, bearing in mind that a hasty act performed without full knowledge of all the circumstances may cause me much distress.

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