A persistent canard, not held exclusively by anti-Semites, claims that Jews are a uniquely unaesthetic people. Prohibited by the second commandment from making likenesses—so the myth goes—Jews cultivate literature, law, and theology, but shun the visual arts. While everything from ancient synagogue mosaics to the work of such modern masters as Marc Chagall give the lie to these claims, Raphael Zarum looks at the actual differences that distinguished ancient Israelite aesthetics from those of their contemporaries. He finds evidence in the British Museum’s exhibit Luxury and Power: Persia to Greece.
On display is a dazzling range of lavish artifacts spanning the 500 years before the Common Era. They tell a story of Persian decadence that demonstrated political authority, defining a style that resonated across their vast empire, from Egypt to India. The exhibition then shows how this was reproduced, adapted, and occasionally reviled by the succeeding empires of Greece and Rome. Their kings would drink from only the finest vessels, wear glamorous and exclusive clothes, and surround themselves with sweet-smelling incense that created a heady atmosphere.
You will not find one Jewish artifact in the entire exhibition and yet comparisons and contrasts abound. The period it covers coincides with when the Second Temple stood in Jerusalem. This housed ceremonial objects fashioned with gold such as the candelabra, washbasin, table, and ark. . . . Thus, many of the luxuries of the Persian royalty could be found in the Jewish Temple, but with a significant difference. One gave honor to man, the other to God.
The truth is that aesthetics are important in Judaism. The Talmud states, “Ten measures of beauty were given to the world; nine were taken by Jerusalem, and one was distributed all over earth” (Kiddushin 49b). . . . The Torah teaches us to marry our [human] predilection for aesthetics with the recognition of the divine. In this sense, luxury is not about acquiring and owning expensive things; it is about appreciating them for what they are and realizing they can also be used for something of even higher value.
Read more on Jewish Chronicle: https://www.thejc.com/judaism/all/what-the-british-museum-reveals-about-the-torah's-view-of-beauty-2RXjwVwlJiwUmw9fEUGkLT