It is a mystery that confounds neuroscientists and evolutionary experts to this very day.
A few evenings ago I was fortunate enough to attend an uplifting rendition of Rachmaninov’s second piano concerto by the Israel Sinfonietta Beersheva (for whom my sister Miriam plays bassoon) – a piece so beautiful that I imagined my soul floating above my body at certain points. What is it about music, essentially a set of vibrations at varying frequencies and intervals, that impacts the human mind and soul so profoundly? From my rudimentary research, it is a phenomenon which remains largely unexplained.
In his descriptions of how the culture and refinement of “Yafet” is essential in preparing humanity for being able to appreciate and apply the “true spiritual teachings of Shem”, Rabbi S. R. Hirsch accords an almost mystical dimension to music and the arts:
“God clothe[d] the world with the garment of beauty, formed the law of harmony into shapes and sounds, and opened the eyes and ears of mankind to grasp these harmonies and to enjoy them intellectually and spiritually. Every perception of the loftiness as demonstrated by a star-studded sky, by the rays of the rising or setting sun, every joy experienced by the grace and beauty of a flower elevates man to the level of lofty concepts and ideals.”
This link between music and the spiritual realm can draw support from the prophet Elisha. When seeking prophetic inspiration in order to guide King Yehoshaphat’s military campaign he requested:
"And now fetch me a musician." And it was that when the musician played, the hand of the Lord came upon him." [II Kings 3:15]
Such a connection is reinforced by prominent depictions in our liturgy of angels raising their voices in musical song to praise God, as well as the central role of both instrumental and choral performances by Levites in the Mikdash.
I believe that the inexplicable yet overwhelmingly intense pleasure that music generates can provide an important insight into how we conceive of the World to Come. In several places, Rambam grapples with the task of describing the indescribable; of relating a spiritual metaphysical pleasure to beings who can only experience and conceptualise physicality.
In Hilchot Teshuva (chap. 8 ) he concedes that “there is no way in this world to grasp and comprehend the ultimate good which the soul will experience in the World to Come”, noting that "No eye has ever seen, O God, except for You, what You will do for those who wait for You;" [Isaiah (64:3)], i.e. the good which was not perceived by the vision of a prophet and is perceived by God alone, this was created by God for those who wait for Him”.
This approach is expanded upon in the Introduction to Chelek, where Rambam explains that “just as a blind person cannot comprehend colours, a deaf person cannot comprehend sounds and a eunuch cannot comprehend sexual desires, so too physical creatures cannot comprehend spiritual pleasures”.
Seeing that such pleasures remain beyond the grasp of our imagination and comprehension it may be best simply to remain patient. Yet I cannot help but wonder if, as Rav Hirsch seems to imply, the more refined non-physical pleasures that God has granted us through music and the arts provide us a degree of understanding – an insight into the sort of additional faculties and spiritual channels of appreciation of His wisdom that may be open to us once our souls are no longer dominated by our physical bodies.
I also recall the words of my late grandfather, a non-observant Jew but ardent lover of music, who turned to me as a child and told me in a quivering voice:
“Shmuli, if anyone ever suggests to you that there isn’t a God – that we are all here without any cause or design – play them a beautiful piece of music. There is no greater response.”
First posted to Facebook 27 November 2022, here.
