Aesthetic value
Hello Rabbi Michi,
Question following the post about aesthetic values:
You suggested there that there is an aesthetic prohibition against doing disgusting acts, like eating a dead dog.
Do you think there is a positive value, an “aesthetic mitzvah” for doing beautiful deeds such as cleaning the body and beautifying life (pruning grass, planting flowers, etc.)?
Thank you and have a good week.
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Continuing with my question:
Do you think it is possible to talk about ”aesthetic obligations”, like ”moral obligations” if a person violates them, he deserves punishment or reproach?
In other words: is it a sin to violate the ‘aesthetic laws’ or is it a non-binding value but only ‘proper’?
Why not? In principle, it's like any moral value. A person deserves to be condemned (or punished unjustly, or punished by heaven). And of course, here too, as in morality, there are values that are within the scope of a "degree of piety," that is, existential values: If you did something, you have a reward and deserve praise, and if you didn't, then you're just an ordinary person who is perfectly fine.
Interesting, thanks for the answer, this is really new to me.
How can you know the ”laws of aesthetics” ?
What is obligatory and what is Hasidism?
This is even easier than knowing the laws of morality. The laws of morality require observing the idea of the good, the laws of aesthetics require awareness of social norms (and distinguishing which of them is basic and mandatory in the given circumstances). All subjects that are not halakhah are not obtained from the study of organized sources but from intuition and observation with the eyes of reason.
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