Do our Jewish institutions need beautiful buildings? Do aesthetics matter in Judaism?
Our parsha opens with the lighting of the menorah in the Temple “to raise a candle continually”. Why does the Temple need to have candles lit at all times?
This is to enhance the Temple, impressing grandeur and honor in the minds of people who see it. Such is the way of people – to illuminate their homes with candles. And the grandeur of the Temple is to instil dread and humility in those who visit it. (Sefer Hachinuch, Mitzva #98)
Likewise, when the Torah mandates the practice of incense in the Temple:
It is impossible to raise something in people’s minds unless the object is experienced in a dignified and noble manner as well as evoking a pleasurable and enjoyable aesthetic. It is well known that an attractive smell acts as a source of contentment to the soul, generating a sense of desire and activating a person’s inner world. (Sefer Hachinuch, Mitzva #101)
In other words, engineering an environment that conveys greatness, dignity, aesthetic pleasure, creates a portal to higher spiritual and experiential engagement with God.
Click here to read more from Rabbi Alex Israel in this week’s Parsha Discussion: Tetzaveh: Smells Good!
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