So you are admitting the gemara says what it says? That's a good step.
There are two issues I was thinking about on my drive home tonight... You had an exception to the statement that the Beauty of Bathsheba was a spiritual beauty more than a physical beauty. I have learned this from other sources too, it is truly a Jewish idea and not a Christian one...
Here is some discussion of this:
http://ohr.edu/holidays/chanukah/greek_philosophy/1326
"If eyes were made for seeing,
then Beauty is its own excuse for being." (Ralph Waldo Emerson, Poems, The Rhodora)
The renowned 19th century American poet and essayist herein expresses one of the main philosophic tenets of the Western World: "Beauty is its own excuse for being." Indeed, Western Civilization appears to be built on the adoration of Beauty. From fair Helen of Ancient Troy - dubbed by 16th century British bard, Christopher Marlowe, "the face that launched a thousand ships," - down through the meanderings of time until today's Miss Universe Beauty Pageant, beauty has played a central role on the stage of history.
Beauty, however, is not limited to the appearance of women. Its significance may be recognized as well in a Western World that has given primacy throughout the ages to music, literature, drama, painting, and the other "fine arts." Upon close examination, much of today's world seems to be focused on "aesthetics," the celebration of the various faces of Beauty.
What is the true purpose of Beauty? Does the Torah also give it primacy?
Shlomo Hamelech, the "wisest of men," warns us: "False is grace, and vain is beauty, the woman who fears the Lord shall be praised" (Proverbs 31:30). The Torah seems to take the opposite stance; not only is Beauty not a prominent factor, it is even dangerous in that it is "false." It would seem that its importance is to be denigrated.
Yet, the Gaon of Vilna takes us deeper when he brings Shlomo Hamelech's statement in juxtaposition to the Torah's description of the Matriarchs. Why, asks the Gaon, should the Torah make note of the beauty of the Matriarchs, calling Sarah, Rivka, and Rachel "beautiful in form, and beautiful in appearance," if this beauty is "vain" and "false?" He answers that there are different types of physical beauty. There is physical beauty that is only "skin deep," only physical with no spiritual concomitant.
There also exists physical beauty which is at base spiritual, an emanation of an inner beauty, causing observers of this individual to remark: "What a perfect Creation, beautiful inside and out." This, concludes the Gaon, was the startling beauty of the Matriarchs, a beauty that emanated from the inside out.How radically different than a woman who has only physical beauty, whom Shlomo Hamelech compares to a "gold ring in the nose of a sow." What is this metaphor meant to illustrate? Gold symbolizes honor and importance; it adorns thrones, scepters, and crowns. A nose ring which was a symbol of beauty, especially one made of gold, is most incongruous in the snout of the swine, a disgusting beast that uses its snout to dig in revolting places. So is the physical beauty of a woman who does not aspire to the pursuit of Truth a falsification, an enticing peel devoid of its nourishing fruit.
The nation of Israel descends from Shem, the youngest son of Noach; ancient Greece was descended from Yefet, Noach's oldest son. The Torah traces the roots of their national character to a single incident: Upon hearing from their brother Cham that their father lay intoxicated and exposed in his tent, they remedied the embarrassing situation by covering him. "And Shem and Yefet took a garment, and put it upon both of their shoulders, and went backwards and covered the nakedness of their father; and their faces were backward, and they saw not their father's nakedness" (Bereishet 9:23). Rashi tells us the consequences of this action for the descendants of the three sons: Cham who disgraced his father is cursed that his descendants will be led into slavery naked and barefoot; Yefet who assisted his brother in covering his father's disgrace merits honorable burial for his descendants, and Shem, who initiated the action, merits tzitzit for his descendants.
While we can understand the consequences of Cham's action, the distinction between that of Shem and Yefet is more subtle, for, did they not both together perform the same dignified deed?
In truth, the actions of Shem and Yefet were vastly different. Shem who initiated the meritorious deed was motivated by an internal stimulus, seeing beyond the physical disgrace to the degradation of the "image of G-d," the entire spiritual domain. His reward is tzitzit, a physical tool that enables him to see beyond the physical world to the spiritual world above. Yefet, who follows Shem's lead, concurring that human disgrace must be removed, is responding merely to the external stimulus. He is rewarded with the external trappings of human dignity - honorable burial.
"G-d has granted Beauty to Yefet, and he will dwell in the tents of Shem" (Bereishet 9:27).
The Beauty granted Yefet, and his progeny, the nation of Greece, is external; the Beauty of the fine arts, the worship of the physically beautiful - Beauty which is "its own excuse for being." Yet, this Beauty is intended to dwell in the tents of Shem and those of the nation of Israel, to assist in the glorification of True Beauty - the inner beauty of the soul and spirituality. As history so clearly demonstrates, from the ancient political and cultural struggles between Classical Greece and Israel, down through the ages until that of the contemporary Jew surrounded by Western Civilization, True Beauty must either emanate from within or at least assist and glorify this inner Beauty - the Eternal Truth of Torah!
Also this:
http://www.torah.org/learning/ravfrand/5766/chayeisarah.htmlThe Role of Beauty
At the beginning of this week's Parasha, the verse says, "Sarah's lifetime was one hundred years, and twenty years and seven years; the years of Sarah's life" [Bereshis 23:1]. The Medrash quotes the pasuk "Hashem knows the days of the perfect, their inheritance will be forever" [Tehillim 37:18] and comments "Just as the righteous are 'temimim' [perfect / complete] so too are their years 'temimim'. Sarah was as beautiful as a 7-year-old at age 20, and at 100 her quantity of sins was equal to that of a 20 year old.
The Medrash is obviously addressing the strange way in which the pasuk states that Sarah lived to the age of 127. It is understandable why the Medrash wants to point out the righteousness of Sarah. The longer we live, the more susceptible and open we are to sin. So we can readily understand the praise implicit in the statement that when she was 100, she was like a person who was only 20 in terms of the number of sins she had committed in her lifetime. This is a significant measure of piety that is worth knowing about our first matriarch.
But what is the point of the Medrash telling us that at twenty, Sarah was as beautiful as a 7-year-old? The Torah is not discussing someone who is entering a beauty pageant here. What is the point of this drasha (exegesis)? We are discussing our matriarch Sarah. Why is it significant to know that she had the beauty of a 7 year old when she was twenty?
Rav Mottel Katz, z"l, in his work Be'er Mechokek explains the very important concept of Biblical beauty. The Torah goes out of its way to describe the various matriarchs as being beautiful in appearance. This is not the type of description which we would expect to hear today in describing a prominent Rebbetzin or even in proposing a shidduch (marriage match) to a serious Rabbinical student. Even when someone is interested in "looks", it is still uncommon for one to stress "she is a beautiful girl" when discussing a potential match. We are supposedly above that. However, the Torah does point out that the matriarchs were beautiful people.
Our Sages state that ten measures of beauty descended to the world. Jerusalem took 90% of that beauty and the rest of the world divided up the remaining 10% [Kidushin 49b]. Here again, the Gemara emphasizes that Jerusalem is the most beautiful city in the world. Why is it important that Jerusalem be a beautiful city? Would it be any less meaningful or holy for the Jewish people if Jerusalem were not the most beautiful city in the world?
The answer is that we as human beings are very influenced by our physical surroundings. Physical beauty can put a person in a frame of mind that is more receptive to the spirituality that exists. The Talmud says elsewhere, "three things broaden a person's mind – a beautiful house, beautiful possessions, and a beautiful wife" [Brachos 57b]. What is the meaning of this Gemara? The meaning of the Gemara is that when a person lives in nice conditions and is not bogged down by physical distractions, he has the ability to be more receptive to matters of holiness.
A person who is in a beautiful home with beautiful furniture, beautiful surroundings, and a beautiful wife, can have the freedom and peace of mind to devote himself to the higher tasks of life. The beautiful home, car, and wife are not ends in and of themselves. But they allow the person to rise above the impediments of physical distractions that sometimes get in the way of spiritual growth.
When a person enters Jerusalem and looks out upon the beautiful Judean Hills, his soul becomes more receptive to be influenced by the inherent sanctity of the place than what would be possible if Jerusalem had been an equally sanctified but less attractive city.
Chazal tell us in the above quoted Medrash that the beauty of Sarah was like that of a 7-year-old. The beauty of a 20-year-old woman can sometimes be used for the wrong purposes in life. The beauty of a 7-year-old, on the other hand, has a certain purity and innocence. This is exactly the point made by Chazal. The beauty of Sarah was not used like the beauty of a 20-year-old woman can sometimes be used. It was used like the beauty of a 7-year-old girl -– not for malevolent, not for prurient, and not for sensual purposes –- but purposes of inspiration and aspiration, as our Sages say "Sarah converted the women."
.
.
.
Also, is it not possible to be compelled to do something, while also doing it willingly?
PS: Regarding beauty, it is true that our Matriarchs were stunningly physically beautiful but the lesson the Torah is teaching is more than skin deep.