Despite the title, this is not a political commentary. I did research on why a government has a “cabinet” and found that its origins are from Italian and Latin, referring to small rooms often found in homes of nobles and royals. From that, I gather, came the term for the advisers invited to private rooms of government leaders.
Today, I’m actually thinking about real cabinets, those wooden boxes found affixed to the walls in your kitchen, for example. The cabinets come in a multitude of colors and shades, with different flourishes or shapes, and of course, the pulls or hardware which can create an aura of elegance, a homey warmth, or one of so many other types of emotions and looks.
On a recent trip, I was sitting in a shtibel, a home that has been transformed into a place to daven, and the kitchen is where the men sit. There I was, sitting at eye level with a kitchen drawer, and I took note of the fact that there was a design around the drawer pull, sort of a raised rectangle, which corresponded to the rectangular indentation of the cabinet beneath it.
I began to wonder why cabinets became things of decoration and art, with crown moldings and engraving, when they’re essentially places to store your stuff. They are utilitarian in nature, so why do we spend so much time and money on designing cabinets? If you can open them and put things inside, then close them and have those things be protected or at least out of sight, you’ve accomplished the goal. Why do they have to be pretty? Why must they become extravagant and “presidential”?
The answer to that, of course, leads to more questions. Why does anything have to be pretty? Why do people appreciate art and beautiful things? Why did Hashem create a capacity in humans to appreciate forms and design?
It is wide-ranging indeed. You can find beauty in so many places, depending on what’s important to you. Most people find nature beautiful. It may be a waterfall, a lush field of grass or flowers, or maybe a craggy desert landscape, but to someone, it is peaceful and beautiful. Then, when you see, for example, the hot desert vista, and notice that just beneath the shade of a cactus a small creature is surviving and benefiting from it, you marvel at the even greater beauty of the harmonious existence and the perfection of how it all blends together.
A person like me who enjoys words and their usage will find beauty in a well-written piece of poetry or even prose. When someone manages to utilize a phrase in a clever way, perhaps conveying much more meaning than meets the eye superficially, I revel in the masterful handling and creation of the writing, much like a cabinetmaker might celebrate the flourishes on a wooden creation.
If you are a foodie, you might find the beauty in the arrangement and color complements of your meals. You can appreciate the delicate flavors and textures and aromas. You can see a perfectly plated salad and imagine the way it will taste, with your mind already bursting with excitement from the appearance and popping colors.
In anything we do, we can find and appreciate beauty. But why? What’s it all about?
The conclusion I came to was that Hashem created beauty, and the appreciation for it, in order to give us pleasure and enable us to feel joyous when we see things made in an artful way. Behind that, of course, is the fact that it further enables us to recognize the true artistry in the world Hashem created. Hashem is the greatest artist in the Universe and beyond, capable of conveying feelings and emotions and grandeur and glory in the most utilitarian of things. He wants us to appreciate the delicate nuances and exciting flourishes He’s endowed His world with, so we might further be awed and impressed by Him.
When you see a beautiful cabinet, with dovetailed joints and inlaid marquetry, you recognize the skill of the maker. You understand that his knowledge surpasses what you see, and that his abilities are limited only by the time and materials he has to work with. Since Hashem is limited by neither of these things, we can extrapolate exponentially how vast His wisdom and abilities are. This should make us revere Him more, and appreciate that He cares enough about us to imbue the world with the beauty for us to find.
As we look around and take note of how things work, specifically in regards to how they interact and coordinate with other things, we would do well to drink in the beauty and wisdom of everything around us, and learn to appreciate the fine art of “the King’s cabinet.”
Jonathan Gewirtz is an inspirational writer and speaker whose work has appeared in publications around the world.
