Art - Insights on Art: Part 1

00:01 This evening, we begin, im yirtza Hashem, a new series, the topic of art. We find in Torah, in the Talmud, and in Shulchan Aruch, Halakha, various discussions of drawing and art and their implications, as one can very easily access these sources. The Talmud in the Tractate of Brachos, page ten, teaches us, "Ein tzur ke'eilikeinu," there is no rock like our God, which is from the prophet Shmuel, part one, chapter two, verse two. And the Talmud elaborates and asks, what is the meaning of there is no rock like our God? And the Talmud interprets that the word tzur also includes the meaning tzayor. There is no artist like our God. In honor of his yahrtzeit, we will begin by discussing Rav Achacid, Rabbi Elazar Kalman Tiefenbrun, of blessed memory, who was a great and unique artist in Chabad. He was niftar on the fifteenth of Shevat, Tov Shin Ayin Ches, two thousand eighteen. Rabbi Tiefenbrun's artwork became very popular around the world. In this series, we will relay various insights on art which Rabbi Tiefenbrun merited to receive from the Rebbe, and also the impact of his artwork. We'll begin with a quote from a memento which was distributed at a, a wedding of a family member of the Tiefenbruns which took place two years ago. And it begins as follows. Our father, the Chassid Rabbi Elazar Kalman, was an amazing hand artist and was one of the famous artists in the whole world. Thanks to his paintings, drawings of tzadikim and rebbes which he produced,

02:19 and they were circulated around the world. And this was although he himself never had a background of art. He didn't study the art. He didn't take any courses, but he was born with this unique talent. He used his delicate senses to permeate into the depth of the images of tzadikim from the earlier generations, rebbes of our generation, and great rosh yeshivas around the world. And this was all to illustrate the, their face in a live way, that when a person looked at it, it looked alive. He knew how to include in his artwork an actual warmth, and with this feature, he was almost like one in a generation. His images were so, his images were so accurate, like the person himself is standing in front of you i-in a live way. And with this, we can possibly understand the following words that the Rebbe told Rabbi Elazar in Yechidus when he asked if he should also begin drawing other topics, topics that are not connected with Yiddishkeit. The Rebbe told him the following. The Rebbe told it him in Yiddish, and we will then translate it in English. Since you can express the Yiddishkeit in a painting, I would not want that this should be used for other matters. Also, when he would draw images of simple people or general pictures of groups of Hasidim and Anshei Ma'aseh, he knew how to permeate in the art, in the, the drawing, an illuminated spirit of warmth. And this could possibly be the reason that the Rebbe

04:43 encouraged him that he should continue drawing. As the Rebbe once told him on another occasion, It'll be beneficial for you and also for those who will receive these paintings. Over the years, our father, Rabbi Tiefenbrun, developed his talent, which he received as a gift from heaven, and he used it with the guidance of the Rebbe for drawing in yanim of kedusha. Amongst the works that he did was an image of the Alter Rebbe, of Rav Yechezkel Landau, Rav Akiva Eiger, the Chasam Sofer, Rav Naftali Zvi Yehuda Berlin, the Netziv, Rav Chaim M'Brisk, the Chofetz Chaim, the Gerrer Rebbe, Baal Imrei Emes, and many more. In his artwork, he exerted himself to draw not only the external look of a, uh, the person, but also to express their spiritual status. As one historian testified that the artwork of Tiefenbrun Is something that maintains the ideology and the musar. In other words, the teachings of the personality who is being drawn, who is being, uh, reflected in this artwork. And when you look at these impressive images, you feel like you are in their presence, in the presence of these dignified holy people. And that is how our father continued with the Melech HaTziyur from one picture to another till Taf Shin Chaf Zayin, 1967. He had a thought of drawing the Rebbe as the Rebbe is wearing talison tzviyon and to circulate it around the world. This image was the first of the Rebbe that he was zecha, Rebbe Lazer was zecha to a big circulation

07:12 and impression. In those days, drawing the Rebbe was something new, was something not happening so often. And since it was so, our father asked permission to publish this, this drawing and to publicize it. And he sent it into the Rebbe. And as a result, the Rebbe responded, gave him a brocha and all the merit that relate to that. And our father saw this as a response and a consent to continue publishing this artwork. Our father was to constantly say that according to his understanding, the reason that he was so successful in the Tziyur is because he has received sort of a consent from the Rebbe. And the story that happened was as follows. A friend of his, Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Glick, who was a shliach of the Rebbe to Spain, Germany, Portugal, and additional countries, once visited the Rebbe for Sukkot Taf Shin Chaf Ches, late 1967. When he entered into Yechidas, the Rebbe asked him, What's Macht Tiefenbrun? How is he doing? And Rabbi Avraham Glick answered, Er halt bam druken a bild. He's in the midst of publishing an artwork of the Rebbe. The Rebbe continued and said, Was macht men mir alemol aze yerns? Why do they always make me look in the artwork so serious? Maybe it can be adjusted. Maybe it can be corrected. After Rabbi Glick left the Yechidas, he told Rabbi Tiefenbrun, and Rabbi Tiefenbrun understood that the Rebbe agrees that he can continue publicizing the artwork, but he should change the serious look of the Rebbe. It

09:23 was then that Rabbi Tiefenbrun sent a letter to the Rebbe, and he wrote, I will be meshtadel, I will try, but I figured that because talison triyon is a solemn time, and therefore I felt that there should be a serious face in the drawing. Within a week, I received a letter, a special delivery, where the Rebbe writes as a P.S. that the dispatch of the letter have been delayed. I have, in the meantime, just received your letter of the 9th of Sivan. With regard to the portrait, changes should be considered only if they do not entail much trouble and expense, etc. For there is a well-known principle of our sages to the effect that the tater desires to spare kaspan shel Yisrael, Yiddish money. There is, of course, no need to be aggravated, God forbid. We will, im yirtza Hashem, continue in the next installment.