Torah and Jewish Idea > Torah and Jewish Idea
Judaism: Forbidden art?
White Israelite:
I've been reading rabbi interpretation of halacha and from my understanding, it's forbidden to draw an image of a man or anything that would represent Hashem or the stars, moon, sun. This article goes as far as to claim that one should deface a statue, trophy, or a doll with human features.
http://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&q=cache%3AQxZiLXoMHacJ%3Awww.thehalacha.com%2Fattach%2FVolume3%2FIssue8.pdf+Shulchan+Aruch%2C+Y.D.%2C+141%2C+4&hl=en&gl=us&sig=AHIEtbRzEki02yhTpDM9CCsG-QvyCeSXjQ&pli=1
Is this true? I am looking to get into art myself and do some sketches myself and would not want to engage in forbidden activity. I have seen some Jewish art that focuses on drawing people and while finding such artwork is rare (when I think of Jewish art, I don't think of focusing on a person as the picture), what I have seen is very well done and I am curious if this is a violation of halacha?
I've noticed such images of the Israelites is rare if not impossible to find and the only artwork that can be found is from Egyptians portrayal and some Assyrian drawings. There is also a picture of the Habiru in Egyptian hieroglyphics which some scholars claim are infact the Hebrews but that has not been proven yet.
There are some crude drawings of lions and some other animals but I would assume that a lot of the artwork is rare from those days because of the occupation from various empires throughout the course of history. It's hard enough finding documents and I'm sure finding art is going to be even more difficult.
muman613:
Yes, it is true that the commandment concerning images includes the command not to make images of man....
Look at the second of the ten commandments:
Shemot/Exodus 20
3 Thou shalt not make unto thee a graven image, nor any manner of likeness, of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
4 thou shalt not bow down unto them, nor serve them; for I the LORD thy G-d am a jealous G-d, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate Me;
Apparently the command is that we should not make graven images of anything which Hashem has created {likeness of any thing that is in heaven above or on earth or in the water}....
I do not have any pictures in my house of anything other than landscapes {though technically this too is forbidded by a strict interpretation of this commandment}....
http://www.modia.org/infos/etudes/artjudaism.html
According to this article some art is permissable... I have not read this entire link but it may answer some of your questions...
Lisa:
So does that mean little Jewish girls are not allowed to own dolls? In a Judaica store near where I live, they have a bride doll in the window.
muman613:
--- Quote from: Lisa on February 01, 2010, 10:21:49 AM ---So does that mean little Jewish girls are not allowed to own dolls? In a Judaica store near where I live, they have a bride doll in the window.
--- End quote ---
Taking the commandment 100% literally it would forbid this... But there must be some opinions which allow it. I have been trying to find a website which spells out the halacha completely...
Apparently 'graven images' means an image which is created for worshipping... I don't know if dolls of today are created for this purpose...
Lewinsky Stinks, Dr. Brennan Rocks:
--- Quote from: muman613 on February 01, 2010, 10:52:47 AM ---Apparently 'graven images' means an image which is created for worshipping... I don't know if dolls of today are created for this purpose...
--- End quote ---
I have always wondered about this and why Jews and Christians have a different interpretation of this commandment (we have never read it to prohibit images, just those that are meant as idols). Does the Oral Torah or Mishnahs go into more detail about what "graven" means?
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