Blessed Sight

 

By: Jonathan Seidel

Is Judaism really aural? The power of the visual in Judaism

Some have argued that Judaism is an aural religion and a certain extent this is true just check chapters three and four of Deuteronomy but the word “ra’ah” (to see) quantitatively exceeds the use of “shama” (to hear).

Some context is necessary. The word to see is mentioned over a hundred times in Genesis alone in all of its conjugations. On the other hand to hear is mentioned in Jeremiah and Ezekiel over a hundred times each. There is some liturgical development that to some extent prioritises hearing over seeing but seeing is still par for the core. These conjugations are not always ascribed to God or a command rather they are part of human interaction. There are parcel of the human experience and thus any character can convey these normative human expressions. Rachel sees she is not bearing children and Abraham listens to Efron. Since these are regular everyday human expressions they are indicated by characters to one another and not necessarily from God or to God. The narrative will inevitably express this and to some extent bias to seeing because it is a protagonist’s view rather than passively overhearing. Seeing is stronger character engagement than hearing from afar. Since even if one overhears they more or less presumably see the act happening. There is a fair disparity but it is not by much. Just as people see they also hear.

Those who are argue for aural demonstrate listening to the law and obeying God. Yet God does a lot of seeing whether it is light or evil. Specifically with creation God sees that is good. He is pleased with his creation. Seeing is also accompanied with visiting whether Abraham or Jacob. Seeing is being present for the other. Looking at them and acknowledging them. Yet Genesis also depicts the drawbacks of sight. Egyptian lust for Sarah, Lot’s desire for Sedom and the brothers’ jealousy. There are acknowledgments of amazement and of fear. Seeing is something that is neutral. There is good that comes out of it and potential bad. Jacob can bless god and the Sons of God can lust after the daughters of man. It depends on the perspective and depends on the outlook. How does one wish to see the world. Gratefulness is not necessarily from the divine law but rather a measure of respect for those who have done good to you. Seeing good is not the same as hearing good. Hearing good things about someone means something but it does not mean as much if you saw them do it. Looks can be deceiving but looks are also photographed and stored in the memory bank. They are remembered and returned in full. 

Only sight can truly wow. Hearing can surprise but there is a momentous wonder to that which is generally unseen to be seen. To see a bush aflame but not burning. To see the plagues produced by God. They can be heard and they can be read but they can only be seen by eye witnesses. It is truly fortunate and unfortunate. On the one hand not slaves and on the other not witnessing the might of God. The miraculous is perceived by those present. Passed down in legends, fables concocted for bedtime lullabies. They are not plausible events, yet the ancestors saw them but could not relate their experience to their kids. The sight was magnificent and incomprehensible. Interpreting it from the Torah and then imagining it is beyond repair. The dreamer can only picture that which would pale in comparison. The illustration is a mere portrait lacking the actual character and emotion involved in the event. Seeing has meaning in its moment. The awesome cannot be relayed except in cryptic passages. In epic format that is believed but utterly misdefined. Unreliable and unbelievable. Disillusioned and disconnected to that which is visually internalised in that moment. A true wonder for the experienced. A scribe detailing the events for descendants to scoff or miserably disorient the true miracle. 

Sight is a beautiful miracle but it matters to experience and acknowledge. Yet it is precisely that sight that is also camouflaged. Certain things can be seen. The natural order and the miraculous can be seen but that is the extent of divine coverage. God himself cannot be seen. The fire and the clouds conceal the divine. They are a sign of his presence and his immense power. They are not just any fire and any clouds but those that possess seemingly magical ability. They demonstrate illogical forms that could be maintained by the divine for such a length of time. The voice calls to be heard. The divine cannot be seen and even the angels conceal themselves either in plain sight or by dressing as humans. To see is to see reality as it is. To reckon with what is under the stars. To what is perceived and what is received. It can be seen as an object of fascination. As a form of matter it can be internalised into memory. God himself cannot be seen nor can idols represent his concealment. Seeing is restricted. Calling God must be executed without seeing the other. Calling aloud awaiting a response. There is no seeing God and there is no substituting God. A clean line of vocal expression rather than physical endorsement. 

Idolatry is the root of misconceiving the divine. Instead of an object, a person is appointed as the medium. A prophet takes the place of a charm. It is the poetic works of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Ezekiel that provide some of the most blatant visuals. The visions proscribed to these prophets is eye popping. The visual is cryptic and laced with supernal ideals that are truly head scratching. In the earlier texts it is God showing but here it is explicit regarding visions of detailed celestial apex. Jeremiah is asked what he sees to which he responds an almond tree and a steaming pot. Ezekiel sees the chariots and creatures. These powerful visions employ a fascinating aspect of prophetic literature. Besides for the constant polemics and criticism, the prophets are shown complex visions with little to no explanation. Despite the complementary listening challenges, the sights of these visuals is embedded in the beginning of their prophetic journey. Before they even travel to rebuke they are shown these intense visions. The visual matters even if difficult to understand. While the prophet may have comprehended, the reader does not. An inscribed text with little clarification and worse no video to watch. The visualisation is known through the text not from personal experience. 

Leading to the most rabbinic version of visual, the aggada. Seeing is the model of the allegory. Just as the priest saw so too the reader sees. The aggada is the visual to the halakhic aural. Allegory is the illustrated law or prose while the law is the received tradition. The law is heard while the allegory is seen. The narrative is the benchmark for much of the biblical text. The Talmud is frequented with law and minute allegory while the Torah is the inverse. The seeing is merely the reader visualising the event. The reader narrates the journey of the Israelites. Some people even dress up to identify more deeply with the text. The auditory is the law as it has been passed down. It is the law in its codified form. The visual is always back in the biblical account. Never losing its touch of illustrative genius. The reader cannot actually see the characters but like any book can visualise them in his mind. Seeing is about showing and acknowledging. Especially today, many read over listening. Even the law is learned by seeing it in print rather than hearing it from a teacher (though that may be the efficiency of codified law). Seeing is a major component of entering into the mind and the experience of past greats. The biblical and even rabbinic accounts are narrativised to relate and revere.

For the most part listening is the power of Jewish tradition. Listen to your parents and your teachers. Yet unlike other cultures, stories are not told around campfires. They aren’t told as lullabies either. They are written down and read to be visualised and validated. The written word is the visualised impact and the oral law is the auditory internalisation. The written word is imperative to maintaining the visualisation of Jewish history and Jewish memory. God tells the people to not forget what they saw at Sinai. The next generation will never know but they can read about it. They don’t need to hear it from their parents insofar they can authenticate it in the book written by Moses and sealed by God. The law is to be listened to. That is the oral matrix that is transmitted by experience. Yet the narrative is read by all literate children and adults. Further engaging with the forefathers and the nation’s birth. Chronicling and cheering them on as they prevail over each obstacle. Praying when they run into various difficulties. It is a novella but one that is close to the heart. The written word is imperative because it is not about the oral juncture. The legal quandary of cultural expression fills that void. On the other hand, history and memory are linked in the wired apparatus of profound visualisation and memorialisation. 

The visual has its faults and there are areas to stay away from. Concerning God, visualisation is intentionally cryptic ensuring the divine remains pure and transcendent. Yet regarding history and memory, the visual is apparent and incumbent. Visualise and verbalise the greatness of the Jewish past and its journey to the promised land.