They have always been fascinating, haven’t they? I wonder what the first people to have silver backed glass and not bronze, copper and water to look at themselves upon really thought? Maybe a few screams? Must have been interesting to know they could now dress up and paint on their own makeup.
I was given a sabbath reading many years ago, the only one I have ever been given, by a friend at college. Ever the keen Theologian he told me the Temple regulations stipulated that everyone wash they hands in a huge bowl places in front of the Temple. The bowl was bronze if I recall and the stipulation was that the bowl be filled with water not wine. The question asked was, why water not wine? After all wine, in the form of vinegar, is an astringent and better at cleaning the hands of worshippers than water by itself.
An answer given is to do with mirrors. When the worshippers looked into the bowl to bend to wash they could see their reflection in the bowl’s metal surface. Equally the Hebrew for water is a palindrome whereas the Hebrew for wine is not. This indicates that the worshipper should be clean inside and out. Not just washing the hands but also washing their minds.
Reflection is not just about images.