Beauty of Yefes in the Tent of Shem 2
In relation to the bringing in of the beauty of Yefes in the Tent of Shem, I saw a wonderful essay by Rav Samson Rafael Hirsh in the Collected Writings (Volume 2,Kislev 2,page 199-211) that I will quote from. His words are pure gold.
Not for nought did God clothe the world with the garment of beauty, formed the law of harmony into shapes and sounds, and opened the eyes and ears of mankind to grasp these harmonies and to enjoy them intellectually and spiritually.
Every perception of the loftiness as demonstrated by he star-studded sky, by the rays of the rising or setting sun, every joy experienced by the grace and beauty of the flower, elevates man to a level of lofty concepts and ideals. Ennobled by the appreciation of beauty, man will learn to appreciate the joys of his earthly existence and thereby, the prophetic vision of the triumph of the “Yefes” spirit over the other states of mind will become a reality. (later, he will qualify that the Yefes spirit is only true in the moral tents of Shem)
“Yefes” culture offers man his own pleasures, his own sense of grace and beauty as the motive and measure for his own perfection; but it also leaves him subject to human shortcomings and weaknesses, errors and delusions.
The opposite belief (cristianity) denies the possibility of man’s ennoblement (original sin) and robs life on earth of all justification and happiness.
The law of Shem however, establishes God’s will as the motive and measure of man’s ennoblement
It teaches him what is pure and impure, refined and unrefined, holy and profane, that which pleases God and that which displeases him.
I do not own the volumes of R Hirsh’s Collected Works. Last Monday, I went to a shul that had it, and before Mincha I read it, and wrote some of it in my notebook, and this is the essay that caused me to think a lot about what I wrote in the previous post about the beauty of Yefes in the Tents of Shem. and I did not have times to write the whole beautiful piece , so if you have it, please look at it .
But I did have time to write the above, as well as this final paragraph,and a powerful sentence.
The last paragraph says the following;
“Thus if a glimmer of the false Hellenistic spirit challenges the dominion of the timeless spirit of the Jewish law over the dwelling and heart of Judah; if it estranges Judah’s daughters and sons from the splendor of God and the Divine light and make them fall prey to the beguiling sensuality of the Greek culture, if they are made to abandon truth and insight, harmony and beauty, and to adopt empty superficiality and the sensual gratification of Hellenism—then let us kindle the light of the Chashmanoim in our home as a tribute to God’s law and rise triumphantly and victoriously over the futile opposition and antagonism of an erring world”.
The beauty of Yefes has its true home in the Tent of Shem
And if that is achieved ,
then
“The harmony is achieved between the sensual and the spiritual, the human and the divine, the secular and the sacred”
Which tells me one thing,
My dear brothers and sisters,
You don’t need to tear up you body to reach your soul.
May the light of Chanuka give us the hidden light of our soul that will shine through our physical body that Hashem gave you.
He needs both to be healthy.
He wants to teach us
That the Jewish body and soul could get along just fine.
