Page 19 - FINAL catalogue.cdr

religious tradition

synagogual objects & textiles

The Jewish Holy Books are kept in the synagogue, chief among them being the Sefer Torah, the Five Books of Moses. Hand-
written on a parchment scroll, it is rolled on wooden or ivory staves (Atzei Hayim or Trees of Life) decorated with silver or ivory
Torah finials, called Tappuhim, apples, or Rimonim, pomegranates, an ancient fertility symbol. Torah finials often have little bells
on them, symbolizing the joy of reading the Torah. In the Sephardic tradition, the Torah finials are combined with a silver crown,
called Keter or Atarah, which highlights the significance of the Pentateuch. The Torah scroll is tied with a ribbon about halfway
up. It is covered with a Me'il, an embroidered mantle made from precious cloth, over which hangs the Tas, a decorative silver
plaque. The Torah scrolls are always stored upright in the Ehal, and are only taken out when they are to be read. While being read
they are laid down on the reader's desk in a slightly inclined position. A Moreh or Yad, a silver pointer, is used to follow the text
during the Torah reading.

The interior of the synagogue and the sacred objects are usually adorned with valuable embroidered cloths. Among the most
characteristic are the Parohet, a curtain which conceals the Ehal, separating it from the main area, and the Me'il, the Torah mantle,
which is a cylindrical or trapezoidal sheath in the Sephardic tradition. It is open at the bottom and has two circular holes at the top
for the protruding Torah staves. The reader's desk on which the Torah rests during
readings is often covered with a Mappah.
Synagogual textiles from the 20th century are often heavily embroidered with
symbolic designs, like small fluted columns which symbolize Yahin and Boaz, the
sentries at the entrance to the Temple of Solomon, and the Tablets of the Covenant
which symbolize the Torah, as well as the Crown of the Torah. On the Me'ilim in
particular it is common to see embroidered floral motifs, fruit and the vine, symbolising
the spiritual wealth of the Torah.

Τμήμα από ασημένιο Ριμόν, διακοσμητική επίστεψη της Τορά,
από τη συναγωγή Καχάλ Καντόσς Σσαλώμ της Ρόδου.
Part of a silver Rimon, Torah final, from the Kahal Kadosh
Shalom Synagogue.

Τρία Ατσέι Χαΐμ, Δέντρα της Ζωής, ελεφάντινες και ξύλινες λαβές για τον Κύλινδρο της Πεντατεύχου, από τη συναγωγή Καχάλ Καντόσς Σσαλώμ
της Ρόδου, αφιερωμένα στη μνήμη του Ιακώβ Ναχμίας και του Ιακώβ Φίντς, 19ος αι.
Three Atsei Hayim, Trees of Life, ivory and wood Torah scroll handles, from the Kahal Kadosh Shalom Synagogue of Rhodes, dedicated in memory
of Iakov Nahmias and Jakob Fintz, 19th c.