Rabbi Matthew Berkowitz explores the link between the arts and Judaism. Photo courtesy Seth Arbital
March 04, 2008
The exploration of artistic masterpieces and their relationship to Jewish learning can be a mystical and spiritual journey, according to Rabbi Matthew Berkowitz.
A series of biblical paintings by Rembrandt is a prime example of the process, he said.
“In Genesis, chapter 32, we are told the story about Jacob’s wrestling with a ‘mysterious assailant,’” Berkowitz said. “And then, in Rembrandt’s biblical paintings, you can see the struggle taking place.”
Examining the written text along with Rembrandt’s masterpieces has proven to be a deeply powerful experience for many, as they ponder the written and visual imagery.
“Does the fighting portrayed in the text and the paintings represent the estrangement between brothers Jacob and Esau?” asks Berkowitz, senior rabbinic fellow in the Jewish Theological Seminary’s Kollot: Voices of Learning program. “Or could it be Jacob’s struggle with mankind, with God, or with himself and his own conscience?”
Berkowitz was to lead congregants of Temple Beth Ahm in Aberdeen through discussions like these during a weekend-long program from Feb. 29 to March 2. His appearance was part of the temple’s annual scholar-in-residence program.
He planned to use color copies of paintings by Rembrandt and Marc Chagall along with material from the JTS rare bookroom collection to illustrate the weaving of biblical interpretation into artistic creations.
“Anyone at any age and at any stage of life can examine works of art and feel the conveyance of powerful emotions,” Berkowitz told NJ Jewish News during a telephone interview several days before his visit to Beth Ahm. “And those emotions extend to an even deeper level in which you can find a doorway to Jewish tradition.”
Berkowitz, who grew up in Freehold and teaches at JTS’ regional office near Boca Raton, Fla., is a painter and paper cut-out artist. He has presented his program at synagogues and other Jewish venues throughout the United States.
“We often read Jewish text on a cursory level, and sometimes, the visual arts are underappreciated in Jewish educational circles,” Berkowitz said. “But combining the two elements allows the audience members to create their own commentary about what they’ve seen. It can be an extremely energizing experience, particularly if it’s the first time they have experienced this kind of personal connection between art and Jewish learning.”
The connection becomes even stronger when the process enables audience members to see reflections of elements they experience in their own lives, he said.
“Very often, people read the text about Jacob wrestling with the assailant, view the Rembrandt works, and then begin to reflect on their own family hurdles,” said Berkowitz. “It’s rare that a family doesn’t have to deal with some type of communication breakdown or misunderstanding within the ranks. I think almost everyone, at some point in life, has to cope with a spiritual challenge or a spiritual crisis. But seeing your own situation in art and literature is what makes this type of Jewish learning an interactive, rather than a passive, experience.”
And as the involvement in Jewish learning grows, so do the discussions of religion’s educational and enlightening impact, he said.
“At the core of the Jewish learning experience is the fact that when it comes to religious truths, we realize that each of us knows a part of the truth, but that nobody has a monopoly on it,” said Berkowitz. “Each of us has a piece of the puzzle, and bringing those pieces together leads to new insights — and often a host of new questions.”
Berkowitz received undergraduate degrees in international relations and Middle East studies from Colgate University in 1993. He spent one year at the Pardes Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem and received his ordination from JTS in New York in 1999. A fellow classmate was Rabbi Michael Pont, Temple Beth Ahm’s religious leader.
In July, Berkowitz, his wife, Rabbi Miriam Berkowitz, and the couple’s three children, ages eight, two, and three months, will depart for a year-long stay in Israel, where he will continue to research the fusion between art and Jewish learning.
“It’s a way to continue to expand my passions for learning and art and to share the results of my own spiritual journey,” he said. “There is a great deal of beauty and diversity that is illuminated when Jewish learning brings people together without compartmentalization. This is always a rewarding path to follow.”
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