Keys to Life: Beauty, the Body, and the Balance of the Soul

Many of the great figures of the Jewish nation are praised in the Torah for their attractive appearance. For example, Rachel is described as “beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance,” and King David as “ruddy, with beautiful eyes and a handsome appearance.” This seems puzzling as it is written: “Charm is deceptive and beauty is vain; a woman who fears G-d, she shall be praised”? Why then does the Torah present physical beauty as a virtue?

The answer lies in human nature, which was intentionally designed by the Creator to be stirred by beauty. Our ultimate purpose in this world is to reach spiritual perfection through our own efforts. This inherent striving for perfection includes an appreciation of beauty, which reflects harmony and wholeness. Physical beauty however is a fleeting, material perfection and therefore when someone focuses excessively on outer beauty as a central goal, it inevitably leads to neglect of their inner, spiritual world. Of such a person, the verse declares: “Charm is deceptive and beauty is vain.”

When a person who possesses physical beauty is deeply G-d-fearing, avoids arrogance, and takes care not to sin or cause others to stumble, then the verse praises them: “A woman who fears G-d—she shall be praised,” including for her beauty. Her outer beauty complements her inner spiritual elegance and even serves as a tool for deepening her connection to G-d. In such a case, beauty is a true virtue, enhancing a full and refined character.

Looking into the Torah, one sees that many mitzvot were given- at least on a surface level- to preserve a Jew’s natural beauty and to remind him or her of noble, royal status. Far from dismissing the body’s appearance, the Torah commands us to treat it with respect, even in times of grief.

During mourning for instance, the Torah forbids adopting pagan customs of self-injury or intentionally disfiguring the body- such as cutting oneself or shaving a bald spot in the middle of the head to express grief. The Torah declares: “You are children of the Lord your G-d. Do not gash yourselves or shave the front of your head for the dead. For you are a holy people to the Lord your G-d, and He has chosen you to be His treasured people.” As children of the King, we are not permitted to degrade ourselves like common citizens because our honor reflects the King’s honor and we must represent Him with a dignified and refined appearance.

If the Torah prohibits even temporary disfigurement during mourning, all the more so does it forbid permanent bodily alterations, such as tattoos: “Do not etch a tattoo upon yourselves. I am the Lord.” The concluding phrase- “I am the Lord”- serves as a warning: Remember, I am your Creator and Sovereign, who rewards those who follow Me and punishes those who defy Me.

Kabbalistic teachings explain that a tattoo not only scars the body, but it also blemishes the soul, because the soul is bound to the body. Such a person causes lasting spiritual damage to their soul and to the higher spiritual realms it connects to. “A ladder standing on the earth but its head reaches the heavens” describes man. Everything we do here impacts the upper worlds, and then echoes back down. If one passes from this world with such a blemish unrepented, it carries shame into the next world.

Each mitzvah also carries a practical benefit in this world. The prohibition of tattoos, for instance, preserves natural bodily beauty, reminding us that we are sons and daughters of the King of the Universe. (As for circumcision, which may appear to alter the body negatively, in truth it completes it. Like removing a protective film from a container so it can finally be used, circumcision reveals the body’s true function and mission. It is a mark of covenant with G-d- and its many health benefits confirm that the body is better off without the foreskin. See further in HaMahapach, chapter: “The Day Clotting Factors Mature.”)

Judaism also encourages that we maintain a healthy, pleasant appearance through proper nutrition and moderate exercise, for the sake of physical vitality and daily well-being. It does not however endorse body sculpting or beauty obsession as ends in themselves. This distinction sparked the cultural conflict between ancient Israel and Greece under Antiochus. Greek culture idolized the body, as reflected in their sculpture and sports-driven society. In Sparta, babies were inspected at birth for physical potential, and those deemed unfit were cruelly discarded.

At the opposite extreme, Greek mystics would retreat to mountains and deserts, living off weeds and dirty water in search of “spirituality.” But when Antiochus encountered the Jewish way- a culture that blended physical and spiritual life in harmony- he was outraged. Judaism teaches that spirituality is central, but one must also live a grounded life: eat, dress well, marry, raise children, exercise sensibly, and enjoy creation within boundaries. Antiochus sought to erase this worldview, but was defeated by the few faithful Maccabees, who upheld the Torah’s balanced path.

Spiritual seekers who try to deny their physicality are misguided, just as those who fixate only on the body end up spiritually and emotionally unfulfilled. Only by following the Creator’s guidance can a person truly enjoy both inner peace and a healthy, balanced physical life.

As we've seen, many mitzvot benefit a person not only in the World to Come but also here and now. Some promote physical health, others emotional resilience, some offer clear and immediate impact, while others work invisibly through spiritual influence. Regardless, all mitzvot train us and our children, in self-discipline and delayed gratification, traits essential for long-term success. Some also offer unique moral education, like the mitzvah of sending away the mother bird before taking its young, or the law not to slaughter a mother and its offspring on the same day, which teach compassion and sensitivity toward living beings.