Jewish ceremonial art

Jewish ceremonial art is objects used by Jews for ritual purposes. Because enhancing a mitzvah by performing it with an especially beautiful object is considered a praiseworthy way of honoring God's commandments, Judaism has a long tradition of commissioning ritual objects from craftsmen and artists.^[1]

Jewish ceremonial art forms a large part of Judaica (/dʒuːˈdeɪ.ɪkə/), a general academic and art trade term for Jewish-related objects, of which other types are manuscripts, books and other printed materials, artworks in various media, and clothing.

Textual origin

Multiple early rabbinic commentaries on the Hebrew Bible refer to sanctifying rituals with visually pleasing objects in the Midrash. Midrash Mekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael has this teaching on a biblical verse:

"This is my God and I will glorify Him" (Exodus 15:2)
Is it possible for a human being to add glory to his Creator? What this really means is: I shall glorify God in the way that I perform commandments. I shall prepare a beautiful lulav, beautiful sukkah, beautiful fringes (tzitzit), and beautiful tefillin.^{[citation needed]}

Other Midrash teachings (e.g.

9b). This teaching was understood by succeeding generations as a duty, when possible, to make beautiful items used in Jewish life and worship, both physical and textual.

Items used on Shabbat

The following items are used during Shabbat:

• Kiddush cup:
  Jewish holidays
  . Kiddush cups are highly decorated, and are generally made of china, porcelain, silver, pewter and nickel.
• Shabbat candlestick holders
• Hand washing cup ("netilat yediam")
• Challah cutting board and cover
• Havdalah candle and candle holder
• Havdalah spice box

The end of the Jewish

Frankfurt am Main.^[2]

Hanukkah items

Hanukkah Menorah

The

menorah (or hanukkiah) used on the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah is perhaps the most widely produced article of Jewish ceremonial art.^[3][4][5] The Lindo lamp is a particularly fine example by an 18th-century silversmith. Contemporary artists often design menorahs, such as the gold-plated brass menorah with 35 moveable branches designed by Yaacov Agam.^[6] A silver menorah by Ze'ev Raban from the 1930s is in the Judaica Collection of the North Carolina Museum of Art.^[7]

• Chanukah menorah
• Dreidels
• Gelt holder
• Chanukah candles or Oil

Sukkot items

• Esrog Box

To protect the

esrog during the Sukkot holiday, it is traditionally wrapped in silky flax fibers and stored in a special box, often made from silver.^[8]

In modern times, the esrog is also commonly wrapped in synthetic netting, and placed in cardboard boxes. Wooden boxes are increasingly popular as well.

Books

Passover haggadah

The tradition of artistically embellished

Szyk Hagaddah. See also the facsimile edition of the even earlier Barcelona Haggadah^[9]

of 1340.

Notable Judaica collections

Museums with notable collections of Jewish ceremonial art include the

Musée Lorrain in Nancy,^[11] the Musée alsacien in Strasbourg and the Contemporary Jewish Museum of San Francisco.^[12] The Museum of Jewish Heritage

in Battery City Park, New York City also holds a sizable collection. Another way to see Judaica is through the art marketplace, including auction houses. Sotheby's, Bonhams-New York, Skinner's and Kestenbaums routinely hold regular auctions each year.

See also

• Judaic Digital Library
• Religious art

Other items

• Mizrach
  , object indicating the direction of prayer
• Parochet, curtain of the Torah Ark
• Shiviti, meditative text

References

1. ISBN 9780810921993
   .
2. ^ "Spice Container". The Jewish Museum. thejewishmuseum.org. Retrieved 2016-12-23.
3. ^ Luminous Art: Hanukkah Menorahs of The Jewish Museum, Susan L. Braunstein, Jewish Museum, New York, 2004
4. ^ Lighting the Way to Freedom: Treasured Hanukkah Menorahs of Early Israel, Aaron Ha'tell, Yaniv Ben Or, Devora Publishing (November 29, 2006)
5. ISBN 9780789332516
   .
6. ^ "Agam Brass Menorah". www.herndonfineart.com. Archived from the original on 2016-12-23. Retrieved 2009-07-30.
7. ^ ^{a b} "Mending Wounds in the Judaic Collection – North Carolina Museum of Art | Untitled". Archived from the original on May 15, 2009.
8. ^ "Redirecting..." www.aish.com. 26 January 2003. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 4 October 2011. {{cite web}}: Cite uses generic title (help)
9. ^ "Facsimile Editions - Barcelona Haggadah". www.facsimile-editions.com.
10. ^ "The Barcelona Haggadah: Haggadah, liturgical poems and biblical readings for Passover, Sephardic rite". British Library.
11. ^ Les Juifs et la Lorraine, un millénaire d'histoire partagée, Musée Lorrain, Nancy ; Somogy – Éditions d'Art, 2009, p. 164 ; this collection is temporarily not on public display in 2017.
12. ^ "The CJM - The Contemporary Jewish Museum". www.thecjm.org.

External links

• The Bezalel Narkiss Index of Jewish Art
• The Types of Jewish Jewelry (Judaica)
• Jewish Fine Art (Judaica)