September 14, 2017
Rembrandt’s Jewish Vision
By Rabbi Meir SoloveichikIf Judaism’s idea of art is one that can truly represent our frail, fallible humanity, then Rembrandt, who captured faces "without any attempt to beautify them," is the artist for Jews.
With this, we launch an occasional series of essays by Rabbi Meir Soloveichik on the intersection of Jews and Judaism with the artistic practice, and the aesthetic vision, of the great 17th-century Dutch master. “Rembrandt’s Light,” immediately below, introduces the series, and is followed by the first essay, “What Happened at Mount Moriah: Rembrandt and the Binding of Isaac.”
Rembrandt’s Light
Of all places on earth, this one was surely the least likely to be the favored haunt of a Lithuanian rabbi. Even more surprising than the place itself was how the rabbi reacted to what he found there.