The evolution of ceremonial synagogue textiles is closely related to that of the Torah scroll, pa... more The evolution of ceremonial synagogue textiles is closely related to that of the Torah scroll, particularly the way in which it was wrapped and the space in which it was stored. This process of evolution began during the Second Temple period and came to an end in the early fifth century, when the method of writing Torah scrolls was set; it was then that the tradition of writing the Pentateuch on parchment in the form of a scroll became accepted as the method of writing Torah scrolls....
<p>This chapter addresses whether the visual manifestation of the Torah ark as the Throne o... more <p>This chapter addresses whether the visual manifestation of the Torah ark as the Throne of Glory symbolizes God's presence and analyses the base and the upper section of the ark. It examines arks that have a tall, architectonic design and comprise several tiers that are set upon a raised, 120-cm-high platform with railings on either side. It also analyses the elevation of the ark by means of a platform or the ark's soaring, tiered structure that is in contradistinction to the bimah in the centre of the prayer hall. The chapter emphasizes how the elevated ark creates a competing architectural focus that serves no practical purpose. It describes the top of the ark as a representation of God that takes the form of a cartouche with the Tetragrammaton inscribed upon it and a freestanding eagle that is naturalistically sculpted in relief.</p>
‘The curtain that is on the outside, in front of the ark, is like the parokhet in the Tabernacle,... more ‘The curtain that is on the outside, in front of the ark, is like the parokhet in the Tabernacle, about which it is written “the curtain shall serve you as a partition” and so forth.’ This is how, in the early seventeenth century, Rabbi Joel ben Samuel Sirkes of Poland defined the essence of the ...
This chapter illustrates the design of the eastern European wooden Torah ark from that has severa... more This chapter illustrates the design of the eastern European wooden Torah ark from that has several characteristic elements, such as tall height, variety in form, and richness in iconography. It describes the vast geographical diffusion of the numerous arks built during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries in Jewish communities in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It also talks about the scattering of the Jewish population over many settlements that resulted in the establishment of several synagogues and construction of Torah arks against the background of wider historical processes. The chapter recounts events that affected the pattern of Jewish settlement that shaped the political, social, and cultural life of the population of eastern Europe. It reviews the establishment of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1569 and the Cossack-peasant uprising headed by Bogdan Chmielnicki in 1648.
<p>This chapter explores 179 dedicatory inscriptions, which are grouped according to object... more <p>This chapter explores 179 dedicatory inscriptions, which are grouped according to object, origin, and chronology and reflect customs relating to various aspects of the donation of the objects to the synagogue. It covers the dedicatory inscription on a ceremonial object donated to a synagogue that reflects the emotions and aspirations of the donor that conveys information relating to the event or person commemorated or honoured. It also explains how inscriptions can contribute significantly to the study of the community's customs, social life, and history. The chapter explores the tradition of having a dedicatory inscription that is known from ancient times, from inscriptions in the mosaic floors of synagogues. It also analyses the inscription of a name as a means of establishing the donor's rights that is mentioned in medieval halakhic sources.</p>
This chapter talks about how the Temple is manifested in the synagogue through indirect motifs. I... more This chapter talks about how the Temple is manifested in the synagogue through indirect motifs. It reviews events with motifs represented on the Torah arks that will take place concurrently with the rebuilding of the Temple in the days of personal and national redemption or in messianic times. It also discusses the tradition that is based on early expressions of eschatological expectations, mainly in the Talmud and midrashic literature that emerged as a result of continual disappointment at the delayed redemption. The chapter looks at literary motifs referring to the times of the messiah that appear on arks, such as the leviathan and the ox that are expressions of personal redemption. It mentions Aaron's rod, the manna jar, and the jug of anointing oil that are traditionally believed to have been set aside in anticipation of the coming of the messiah.
Outstanding among the precious ceremonial objects of the Gross Family Collection is the Torah cas... more Outstanding among the precious ceremonial objects of the Gross Family Collection is the Torah case no. 048.001.003, with its finials, its pointer, and a kerchief (fig. 1). The Torah case, consisting of a cylindrical body and a domed crown, opens at its front. The crown terminates in an undulating apex from which ten drop-shaped bells hang by chains attached around it. Two rods for the finials are positioned vertically above the two halves of the crown. The case, which is made of wood, is sheathed with repoussé sheets of silver, partly gilt. The diaper decoration pattern consists of rose-like flowers, buds, and leaves in a dynamic composition. A row of bud-like crenellations surrounds the top of the body and two pairs of hooks and a ring, which are attached along the opening of the case, serve to lock it. A long and narrow Torah pointer is inserted in the upper hook. Three identical marks in Chinese characters are stamped on the two sides of the case along its front bars. Bracha Yaniv The Story behind a Baghdadi Torah Case The opening of the Torah case reveals a Torah scroll within it and two dedicatory silver plaques attached to the crown's halves (fig. 2). Each of these plaques bears an inscription consisting of gilt letters raised above the punched background. Each plaque is surrounded by a blue enameled frame of gilt flowers. The inscription on the right plaque reads: צוה תורה ישראל / בני לפני משה שם / אשר התורה וזאת והמשפטים / החקים אלה יעקב קהלת מורשה / משה לנו סיני בהר משה ביד ישראל / בני ובין בינו ה' נתן אשר And this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel [Deut. 4:44]; Moses commanded us a law, an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob [Deut. 33:4]; These are the statutes and ordinances and laws, which the LORD made between Him and the children of Israel in mount Sinai by the hand of Moses [Lev. 26:46].
religious authorities in Europe during the Middle Ages. In the 6th-7th centuries, gold threads we... more religious authorities in Europe during the Middle Ages. In the 6th-7th centuries, gold threads were already recognized as a means of ornamentation in textiles throughout all of Europe. Silver threads of a grey hue were integrated alongside the gold threads.
The evolution of ceremonial synagogue textiles is closely related to that of the Torah scroll, pa... more The evolution of ceremonial synagogue textiles is closely related to that of the Torah scroll, particularly the way in which it was wrapped and the space in which it was stored. This process of evolution began during the Second Temple period and came to an end in the early fifth century, when the method of writing Torah scrolls was set; it was then that the tradition of writing the Pentateuch on parchment in the form of a scroll became accepted as the method of writing Torah scrolls....
<p>This chapter addresses whether the visual manifestation of the Torah ark as the Throne o... more <p>This chapter addresses whether the visual manifestation of the Torah ark as the Throne of Glory symbolizes God's presence and analyses the base and the upper section of the ark. It examines arks that have a tall, architectonic design and comprise several tiers that are set upon a raised, 120-cm-high platform with railings on either side. It also analyses the elevation of the ark by means of a platform or the ark's soaring, tiered structure that is in contradistinction to the bimah in the centre of the prayer hall. The chapter emphasizes how the elevated ark creates a competing architectural focus that serves no practical purpose. It describes the top of the ark as a representation of God that takes the form of a cartouche with the Tetragrammaton inscribed upon it and a freestanding eagle that is naturalistically sculpted in relief.</p>
‘The curtain that is on the outside, in front of the ark, is like the parokhet in the Tabernacle,... more ‘The curtain that is on the outside, in front of the ark, is like the parokhet in the Tabernacle, about which it is written “the curtain shall serve you as a partition” and so forth.’ This is how, in the early seventeenth century, Rabbi Joel ben Samuel Sirkes of Poland defined the essence of the ...
This chapter illustrates the design of the eastern European wooden Torah ark from that has severa... more This chapter illustrates the design of the eastern European wooden Torah ark from that has several characteristic elements, such as tall height, variety in form, and richness in iconography. It describes the vast geographical diffusion of the numerous arks built during the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries in Jewish communities in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth. It also talks about the scattering of the Jewish population over many settlements that resulted in the establishment of several synagogues and construction of Torah arks against the background of wider historical processes. The chapter recounts events that affected the pattern of Jewish settlement that shaped the political, social, and cultural life of the population of eastern Europe. It reviews the establishment of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth in 1569 and the Cossack-peasant uprising headed by Bogdan Chmielnicki in 1648.
<p>This chapter explores 179 dedicatory inscriptions, which are grouped according to object... more <p>This chapter explores 179 dedicatory inscriptions, which are grouped according to object, origin, and chronology and reflect customs relating to various aspects of the donation of the objects to the synagogue. It covers the dedicatory inscription on a ceremonial object donated to a synagogue that reflects the emotions and aspirations of the donor that conveys information relating to the event or person commemorated or honoured. It also explains how inscriptions can contribute significantly to the study of the community's customs, social life, and history. The chapter explores the tradition of having a dedicatory inscription that is known from ancient times, from inscriptions in the mosaic floors of synagogues. It also analyses the inscription of a name as a means of establishing the donor's rights that is mentioned in medieval halakhic sources.</p>
This chapter talks about how the Temple is manifested in the synagogue through indirect motifs. I... more This chapter talks about how the Temple is manifested in the synagogue through indirect motifs. It reviews events with motifs represented on the Torah arks that will take place concurrently with the rebuilding of the Temple in the days of personal and national redemption or in messianic times. It also discusses the tradition that is based on early expressions of eschatological expectations, mainly in the Talmud and midrashic literature that emerged as a result of continual disappointment at the delayed redemption. The chapter looks at literary motifs referring to the times of the messiah that appear on arks, such as the leviathan and the ox that are expressions of personal redemption. It mentions Aaron's rod, the manna jar, and the jug of anointing oil that are traditionally believed to have been set aside in anticipation of the coming of the messiah.
Outstanding among the precious ceremonial objects of the Gross Family Collection is the Torah cas... more Outstanding among the precious ceremonial objects of the Gross Family Collection is the Torah case no. 048.001.003, with its finials, its pointer, and a kerchief (fig. 1). The Torah case, consisting of a cylindrical body and a domed crown, opens at its front. The crown terminates in an undulating apex from which ten drop-shaped bells hang by chains attached around it. Two rods for the finials are positioned vertically above the two halves of the crown. The case, which is made of wood, is sheathed with repoussé sheets of silver, partly gilt. The diaper decoration pattern consists of rose-like flowers, buds, and leaves in a dynamic composition. A row of bud-like crenellations surrounds the top of the body and two pairs of hooks and a ring, which are attached along the opening of the case, serve to lock it. A long and narrow Torah pointer is inserted in the upper hook. Three identical marks in Chinese characters are stamped on the two sides of the case along its front bars. Bracha Yaniv The Story behind a Baghdadi Torah Case The opening of the Torah case reveals a Torah scroll within it and two dedicatory silver plaques attached to the crown's halves (fig. 2). Each of these plaques bears an inscription consisting of gilt letters raised above the punched background. Each plaque is surrounded by a blue enameled frame of gilt flowers. The inscription on the right plaque reads: צוה תורה ישראל / בני לפני משה שם / אשר התורה וזאת והמשפטים / החקים אלה יעקב קהלת מורשה / משה לנו סיני בהר משה ביד ישראל / בני ובין בינו ה' נתן אשר And this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel [Deut. 4:44]; Moses commanded us a law, an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob [Deut. 33:4]; These are the statutes and ordinances and laws, which the LORD made between Him and the children of Israel in mount Sinai by the hand of Moses [Lev. 26:46].
religious authorities in Europe during the Middle Ages. In the 6th-7th centuries, gold threads we... more religious authorities in Europe during the Middle Ages. In the 6th-7th centuries, gold threads were already recognized as a means of ornamentation in textiles throughout all of Europe. Silver threads of a grey hue were integrated alongside the gold threads.
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