When is a dog in a medieval illustrated Hebrew manuscript more than a dog? When it鈥檚 a testament to the undying dedication of Jews to God鈥檚 law.
As the art historian Marc Michael Epstein details in his latest engaging analysis of 91传媒 artistic expression, 鈥淧eople of the Image: Jews and Art,鈥� dogs appear in numerous artistically rendered 91传媒 texts accompanying passages related to Moses. After all, canines鈥� renowned loyalty was a natural representation of the 鈥渓oyal transmission of the divine mandate from generation to generation.鈥� And the Book of Numbers tells us that God believed Moses to be 鈥渢he most loyal in My household.鈥�
鈥淢anuscripts were expensive,鈥� Epstein reminds his readers. Every brushstroke cost time and money. Examining examples of medieval 91传媒 art, then, offers a window into the mentality of Jews at the time, as reflected in images they either drew themselves or commissioned. 鈥嬧�淢edieval art is usu颅al颅ly thought of as patent颅ly non-Jew颅ish,鈥� Epstein writes, often because of the tra颅di颅tion颅al aver颅sion to vio颅lat颅ing the bib颅li颅cal com颅mand颅ment against the mak颅ing of graven images. But Jews have drawn and painted nonetheless.
鈥婽raining his sharp eye on 鈥渁 few pre颅cious Jew颅ish objects that sur颅vived owing to their rel颅a颅tive颅ly small size and porta颅bil颅i颅ty,鈥� Epstein shows how Jew颅ish texts pro颅duced for well-to-do Jew颅ish patrons reflect the Jew颅ish cul颅tur颅al and reli颅gious expe颅ri颅ence of their owners and users.
In addition to dogs meant as stand-ins for Moses and his flock鈥檚 loyalty to the divine law, rabbits appear in numer颅ous illus颅trat颅ed Hag颅gadot in Europe dur颅ing the Mid颅dle Ages. In many instances, they are being chased by dogs. In these representations, the dogs are not the Jews themselves, but rather, the historical antagonists of our people. The image of the hare is meant to remind read颅ers at the Passover seder of the order of bless颅ings to be recit颅ed if the Seder falls on a Sat颅ur颅day night. The Tal颅mu颅dic acronym for the order, Yakne颅haz, is illustrated through a 鈥嬧�渏ag den H盲s,鈥� Ger颅man for 鈥嬧�渉are race.鈥� The rabbit chase is also meant as a humorous attestation to the Jews always somehow avoiding the clutches of their foes. Some renditions of the theme illus颅trate the formerly aggressive dog now humbly serv颅ing a cup of bless颅ing to a crown-wear颅ing rabbit. The appearances of these animals tes颅ti颅fy颅 to both knowl颅edge of Jew颅ish law and an appre颅ci颅a颅tion for God鈥檚 ongoing pro颅tec颅tion of His peo颅ple, key themes of the Passover seder.
Jews, due to their religious status as 鈥渙utsiders鈥� within the dominant surrounding culture, possessed 鈥渉istorical perspective and a certain 鈥榩ermanent observer status鈥� that was their birthright,鈥�听 Epstein writes. They thus saw their contemporary enemies as simply the latest in line of others who their ancestors had outlasted.
In another manuscript, an ancient Israelite enslaved in Egypt is hold颅ing bricks that look like books. Epstein suggests that this dual-natured image is an allu颅sion to both the oppres颅sion and the law, with the latter being Israel鈥檚 source of lib颅er颅ty and sal颅va颅tion. Using this particular instance to reflect on the nature of his project, he asks and answers 鈥淭he lesson for us, as students of art? The material and spiritual, the practical and intellectual, humility and innovation, bricks and books 鈥� are all necessary elements of shalom 鈥� peace, stasis, equilibrium, balance between self and other.鈥� In other words, these crafted 91传媒 books represent the ways in which Jews have both expressed their faith and expressed appreciation for the miracle of their ongoing survival amidst persecution.
鈥淏eyond sim颅ply illus颅trat颅ing Jew颅ish scrip颅ture, his颅to颅ry, or rab颅binic or mys颅ti颅cal com颅men颅tary鈥� the author concludes, 鈥嬧�渁rt can become Jew颅ish com颅men颅tary in and of itself.鈥� As the epigraph in one of the book鈥檚 chapters notes, the Irish playwright George Bernard Shaw observed 鈥淵ou use a glass mirror to see your face; you use works of art to see your soul.鈥�
Rabbi Dr. Stuart Halpern is Senior Adviser to the Provost of Yeshiva University and Deputy Director of Y.U.鈥檚 Straus Center for Torah and Western Thought. His books include the newly released “91传媒 Roots of American Liberty,” “The Promise of Liberty: A Passover Haggada,” “Esther in America,” “Gleanings: Reflections on Ruth” and “Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land: The Hebrew Bible in the United States.”
