The Art & Letters of Repentance — The Most Famous Artistic Image of Yom Kippur: Maurycy Gottlieb's Meditation on the Machzor and Mortality

Abstract

Maurycy Gottlieb’s "Jews Praying in the Synagogue on Yom Kippur" has rightly been called one of the most famous Jewish artistic works, and the most well-known image of Jewish prayer. Yet even a cursory examination of the image reveals that many, if not most of the individuals in the painting do not seem to be praying at all; and an analysis of the figures created by Gottlieb reveals a motif that is both shocking and profound. Addressing the many mysteries surrounding the painting will allow us to better understand not only the meaning of Yom Kippur, but the very essence of Judaism itself.