My 3 Million Dollars Artwork!

My wife recently mentioned that our home could use more works of art. Determined to impress her, I decided to go all out and purchase an artwork valued at over $3 million!

Well, to be completely honest, I didn’t buy the entire piece. I only bought half of it: the banana.

By now, you’ve probably heard about the “beautiful” and “highly artistic” work of art: the “Banana and the Duct Tape.” This “breathtaking” display, which consists of a banana taped to a wall, was created by Maurizio Cattelan in 2019. As you can probably guess, I’m not thoroughly impressed by this so-called art.

Recently, it’s been making headlines again, as it was sold for an astounding $6 million in November 2024. Since I only purchased half of the artwork, my investment is worth over $3 million. I can’t wait to see how my wife reacts to this masterpiece (assuming my toddler doesn’t mistake it for a regular snack!)

Okay, I need to stop myself here. I am being way too critical of this art. Not because paying $6 million for the banana and duct tape made any sense (it didn’t), but because all jokes aside, this idea of turning everyday objects into something meaningful is actually at the heart of many celebrated artworks. Day-to-day items can become part of an artwork that will inspire and challenge our minds.

Stonehenge comes to mind. While I can’t definitively say if it was an art installation, I do know that in 2023 alone, over 1 million people came to see the stones. You can look at the stones and say, “What is the big deal? Some stones set up in a circle?” But if you do, you’d be missing the entire point. Yes, they are plain stones, and similar stones can be found all over the world, but the context and meaning of the stones are what make them so unique.

In our Parsha, we find the following story:

“Jacob rose early in the morning, took the stone that he had placed under his head, and set it up as a monument. He then poured oil on the top of it, consecrating it as an altar… made a vow, saying, ‘If G-d will be with me; and will protect me on this journey that I am undertaking; and will give me bread to eat and clothing to wear… Then, this stone that I have set up as a monument will become a house of G-d.'”

The Chassidic sages explain that the stone represents all physical objects in this world. Think about a fork, a car, or a table; every moment in our lives we interact with so many physical objects. Yaakov’s vow was to elevate them all, to find their purpose, and to utilize them for serving G-d. When he does, the regular objects become something unique and holy.

As we go about our day, let’s keep that in mind. Let’s try to find a higher purpose for everything we interact with. A car used to give a ride, or to drive and visit someone who needs our help, is a car that is being elevated. A table used to learn Torah is a table that is being elevated.

It is up to us to inject purpose and holiness into everything we interact with. And when we do, it’s worth more than $6 million.