Religious Free-For-All
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“When does the obligation to study begin?” asks Maimonides. “As soon as a child can talk. When does it end? On the day of death.”
-Maimonides, Mishneh Torah, Laws of Torah Study 1:6, 10.
My mind has been all over the place with images which have appeared to me in this very old tree trunk which I photographed in a nearby park. From torah finials to Vishnu avatars . . . the symbolism and metaphors have grabbed me deeply, especially during this horrendous, unsettling political time . . .
From LOTUS SCULPTURE I quote:
"Vishnu is one of the principal Hindu deities, worshiped as the protector and preserver of the world and restorer of dharma (moral order). He is known chiefly through his avatars (incarnations), particularly Rama, Krishna and Buddha.
In theory, Vishnu manifests a portion of himself anytime he is needed to fight evil, and his appearances are innumerable;
but in practice, ten incarnations are most commonly recognized."
"Relics of the Jewish religion".. Exhibition in "Zsidó Múzeum" (Hungarian Jewish Museum and Archives) in Budapest, Hungary...
Torah shield (Torah breastplate) is a shield that in a synagogue is suspended by chains over the front of the Torah. It is usually ornately decorated with embossing to depict symbolic motifs, such as the two columns reminescent of the columns of the Temple of Jerusalem, the Tablet of the Ten Commandments or the Lion of Judah...
from 1867-1872, old-Wien style..
Le trésor de la synagogue c'est sa Torah, ensemble de cinq livres sacrés. Un précieux parchemin en peau de gazelle de 52 mètres de long. Comme les vantaux en bois de cèdre sculptés, il date de l'époque de la construction de la synagogue, au XVIIè siècle.
Pour voir la Torah, on demande à la gardienne.
BREASTPLATE, metal shield placed in front of the mantle of the Torah scroll in Ashkenazi communities.. Symbolic of, and sometimes similar to, the breastplate prescribed for the high priest (Ex. 28:15ff.), the object is often called ḥoshen mishpat, the Hebrew for the breastplate.
Ark, also called Ark Of The Law, in Jewish synagogues, an ornate cabinet that enshrines the sacred Torah scrolls used for public worship. Because it symbolizes the Holy of Holies of the ancient Temple of Jerusalem, it is the holiest place in the synagogue and the focal point of prayer. The ark is reached by steps and is commonly placed so that the worshiper facing it also “faces Jerusalem.” When the scrolls are removed for religious services, the congregation stands, and a solemn ceremony accompanies the opening and closing of the ark doors.
Old Synagogue, Szeroka street, Kazimierz, Krakow, Poland
Jerusalem, Israel: A man, still wrapped in talit (prayer shawl) and tefilin (phylacteries) after morning prayer service, stands at a lectern in a synagogue courtyard, concentrating intently over one of the Five Books of the Torah...
"Zsidó Múzeum" (Hungarian Jewish Museum and Archives) in Budapest takes the 1st floor in The Great Synagogue.. There are two permanent exhibitions:
"Relics of the Jewish religion" and "The history of the Jews in Hungary in the second world war"..
-Torah (תּוֹרָה) It is the central and most important document of Judaism revered by Jews through the ages. It is a Hebrew word meaning "teaching," "instruction," or "law".
It is also very important to Christians, as it constitutes part of their bibles. It is written in Hebrew, the oldest Jewish language. It is also called the Law of Moses...
-Torah pointer is a decorated rod used in a synagogue to indicate the text of the torah that is to be read in the day's service. It is called 'yad', the Hebrew word for 'hand'.
-Torah finials (the rimonim) are the oldest of the Torah ornaments, means "pomegranates", the symbol of fertility and life in much of the Eastern world.
The finials made for Western synagogues are usually shaped in architectural forms such as towers, complete with filigree, balconies, and crowns.
Bells are another feature found on many of the rimonim, especially those made in Italy. The bells symbolize the tiny bells sewn into the High Priest's robe, making a shivering, tinkling sound when he walked past. Many of the Central European-crafted finials are topped with the double headed heraldic eagle or the two tablets of the Ten Commandments...
celebrating the dedication of a new Torah scroll
www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1041022/jewish/Ded...
11.10.13
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Managed to squeeze a shot in today!
(ODC's challenge: Customs)
Image © Copyright 2013 Chris Howard. All Rights Reserved. Like this? Then "fav" it! And visit my website at www.PhotographyByChrisHoward.com!
A parashah (Hebrew: "portion," plural: parashot or parashiyyot) formally means a section of a biblical book in the masoretic text of the Tanakh (Hebrew Bible). In common usage today the word often refers to the Weekly Torah portion (a shortened form of Parashat ha-Shavua).
Title: Torah pointer
Description: Filigree overlay with filigree balls at finial and mid shaft, inscribed in Hebrew: Yosef Birnbaum, chain
Artist: unknown
Medium: silver, filigree
Date: 19th century
Persistent URL: digital.cjh.org/R/?func=dbin-jump-full&object_id=511294
Repository: Yeshiva University Museum
Accession number: 1975.035
Rights Information: No known copyright restrictions; may be subject to third party rights. For more copyright information, click here.
See more information about this image and others at CJH Digital Collections.
Pair of Torah finials, Dutch (Rotterdam), 1649, silver, parcel gilt, 42.5 cm high (Museum purchase with funds donated by Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo, in support of the Center for Netherlandish Art, Museum of Fine Arts Boston)
Pair of Torah finials, Dutch (Rotterdam), 1649, silver, parcel gilt, 42.5 cm high (Museum purchase with funds donated by Rose-Marie and Eijk van Otterloo, in support of the Center for Netherlandish Art, Museum of Fine Arts Boston)
Description: Torah crown
Artist: unknown
Date: late 19th or early 20th century
Medium: silver, gilt, embossed, chased, bells are spun
Persistent URL: http://museums.cjh.org/Display.php?irn=6956
Repository: Yeshiva University Museum
Accession number: 1977.099
Rights Information: No known copyright restrictions; may be subject to third party rights. For more copyright information, click here.
See more information about this image and others at CJH Museum Collections.
Project Wall 52: Week 3
Was at a Torah signing today for the first time in my life, what an amazing experience it was!
Photo showing a Tas (Torah Shield) from the Jewish Museum in Vienna.
The image will be shown in the Deep Space 8K of the Ars Electronica Center in Linz/Austria, in the course of a presentation on the old Synagoge in Linz, that was devastated in November 1938 by the Nazis.
Fotocredit: Lois Lammerhuber