Get Think Jewish Delivered to your Home or Office
HOME | CONTACT US | DONATE LoginLOGIN Ask the RabbiASK THE RABBI
Chabad.org - Torah, Judaism and Jewish Info Learning & Values
 
Chabad.org » Learning & Values » Questions & Answers » Miscellaneous » Is Beauty Truth? » Answer #4
PrintSend this page to a friendShare this
Comment3 Comments

Answer #4 - Nachshon Zohari


The Kabbalah calls the world we live in the World of Falsehood. Why? Because in this world our five senses experience only the outer veneer of a deeper reality. Not that they are lying to us—just that there is so much more to reality than meets the eye.

For example: Our eyes see a beautiful person—and we discover her to be a liar. So much for "Beauty equals Truth."

Until we get to the other dimension of beauty, internal beauty. In the system of Sefirot (the Kabbalistic description of the attributes of G-d) Truth and Beauty are the identical Sefirah – Tiferet. Because Tiferet is not external, but internal beauty.

Let me describe Tiferet and you will understand. Tiferet is the third emotional attribute of G-d. It is a perfect blending and harmonizing of the first two emotional attributes: Chesed—a gushing forth of love—and Gevurah—loving in an appropriate way. When you love uninhibitedly, in a way that perfectly fits the situation, you experience the state of Tiferet.

Tiferet cannot be adequately described – it can only be experienced. Think of a musical instrument. When a musician hears a perfectly tuned musical instrument, he hears truth. The notes sing together. If the instrument goes out of tune, he hears un-truth. It is no longer beautiful; it is no longer true.

We have all experienced moments when life's component parts come together in balance and harmony and we feel G-d's Truth flow through us. A scientist feels this when she records the last piece of data that proves her elegant hypothesis. A composer experiences it when he matches tone, melody, and rhythm in a way that transcends his conscious intention.

In both these situations they have discovered and tapped into the hidden river of Beauty and Truth that flows through all existence. It is an awe-inspiring moment that can fuel a person for life.

As manifestations of a transitory reality, Beauty and Truth can stand at complete odds. As the deeper aspects of G-d that flow through Creation, then they are equal.

PrintSend this page to a friendShare this
Comment3 Comments

By Nachshon Zohari   More articles...  |   RSS Listing of Newest Articles by this Author
Nachshon Zohari, LCSW is a psychotherapist whose work is based on a foundation that encourages clients to identify and increase what is positive and powerful in their lives in order to open natural pathways out of unhealthy thoughts, circumstances, and behaviors. His areas of expertise are substance abuse treatment, grief and trauma therapy, and parenting education. Nachshon and his wife Shoshana live in Denver, Colorado, and are the happy and active parents of four great kids. You can see his website here.

The content on this page is copyrighted by the author, publisher and/or Chabad.org, and is produced by Chabad.org. If you enjoyed this article, we encourage you to distribute it further, provided that you comply with the copyright policy.
 

Reader Comments
Latest Comments:
Posted: Mar 19, 2011
Reality
When our emotions are ruled by our hearts and our reasoning by our intelect (brain), then what is real is clouded. We take in other peoples oppinions and try to find a direction to follow, go with the flow. A person who follows that which is against the grain because they know it is the right thing to do, inspite of all the negetive reasoning has found thier reality.
Posted By Ron Copeland, Chico, Ca/USA

Posted: Feb 6, 2011
Beauty Truth and Creation
I just remember what I experienced as a child as I revelled in life, moment by moment; i remember feeling God's presence, not that I knew anything about God as man measures it. I felt loved. As I enjoyed the sunny summer days under the beautiful blue skies, with the puffy white clouds I was sure I saw animals and people's faces in those clouds, as clear as day ! The stars at night took my breath away, not my dad's attempt to educate me about the big and little dippers ! I remember feeling like the tiniest speck on earth when I looked at the star filled skies; I felt the awesomeness of creation and wondered who was I in all of this massive scene? I reasoned that I would not be me if my parents had not found each other. In other words, I was a miracle !!
Posted By Glenda, Leicester, NC

Posted: Mar 27, 2008
beauty truth
pretty good. i don't understand your last sentence how Creation fits in, but it sounds correct.
Posted By Anonymous, winnipeg, canada



 


Is Beauty Truth?
Answer #1
Answer #2
Answer #3
Answer #4
Answer #5
Answer #6
Answer #7