“... Rachel was of beautiful form and fair to
look at.” Genesis 29:17
Thus
the Torah describes the woman who was destined to become Jacob’s favored wife.
The
Gaon of Vilna asks: in light of King Solomon’s comment [Proverbs 31: 30]:
“Grace is deceitful and beauty is vain ; but a woman who fears the Lord, she
shall be praised”, why does the Torah waste its precious words in praise of
Rachel for something which is deceitful, vain and therefore meaningless? The
Gaon answers that the intention of the verse in Proverbs is that grace and
beauty without fear of the Lord are not praiseworthy. But “a woman who fears
the Lord” can be praised for her beauty as well.
I
believe the Gaon’s intention is the following: praise of a beautiful woman is
in truth praise of He who made her beautiful. Thus, “a woman who fears the
Lord” is worthy of praise for her beauty as well, for she understands that
ultimately the praise is not of her but rather of her Creator.
Rabbi
Kook notes that beauty and esthetics are spiritual forces, which are positive
when used properly. A feeling for beauty and esthetics can help develop
intellectual and spiritual powers. On
the highest level, appreciation of esthetics is an aspect of intellectual and
moral perfection and part of true knowledge, fear and love of God.
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