Tombstone of Torah Scholar
This tombstone of a Torah scholar from Sieniawa, Poland includes motifs and symbols often found on Jewish tombstones in Poland, such as a crown and palm trees. Other common symbols on Jewish tombstones included lions, hands making the priestly blessing (for kohanim), and trees with chopped-off branches (for those who died young). The elaborate inscription on the tombstone lauds the scholar’s devotion to the study of Torah and his many good deeds.
We’re sorry. The Posen Library’s licensing agreements prevent this image from being printed or downloaded.
Credits
Photograph by Marcin Wodziński (courtesy of the photographer).
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 6.
You may also like
Esther Scroll (Baghdad)
The scroll (megillah) of Esther is read out loud on the holiday of Purim. This example, from Baghdad, is hand painted, with an ornate design in which bands of flowers frame the text. It is rolled on a…
Burial Comb and Nail Pick of the Bischitz Burial Society
The process of ritual purification of a dead body, known as taharah, involves careful cleaning of the corpse. Prior to being dressed in a white cotton shroud, the body of the deceased is washed, the…
Paper Cut—Shiviti Sign
Paper cuts have been a tradition of Jewish folk art, with the earliest record of one dating to the fourteenth century. Given the widespread availability of paper in Europe by the mid-nineteenth…
Ketubah (Bucharest)
The ketubah is a religious and legal contract of marriage. Traditionally, it outlines the conjugal and economic conditions of a marriage and is written in Aramaic. This one, made in Bucharest, Romania…
Medal of Appreciation
In 1860, the Austrian Jewish community commissioned a medal of appreciation for Franz Joseph to commemorate the emperor’s granting to Jews the right to own property within the Austrian Empire. On the…
Torah Scroll and Case
The origin of this Torah scroll is in Turkey. It was donated by the Camondo family, one of the most important Jewish families in Istanbul, many of whose members settled in Paris and greatly…
You may also like
Esther Scroll (Baghdad)
The scroll (megillah) of Esther is read out loud on the holiday of Purim. This example, from Baghdad, is hand painted, with an ornate design in which bands of flowers frame the text. It is rolled on a…
Burial Comb and Nail Pick of the Bischitz Burial Society
The process of ritual purification of a dead body, known as taharah, involves careful cleaning of the corpse. Prior to being dressed in a white cotton shroud, the body of the deceased is washed, the…
Paper Cut—Shiviti Sign
Paper cuts have been a tradition of Jewish folk art, with the earliest record of one dating to the fourteenth century. Given the widespread availability of paper in Europe by the mid-nineteenth…
Ketubah (Bucharest)
The ketubah is a religious and legal contract of marriage. Traditionally, it outlines the conjugal and economic conditions of a marriage and is written in Aramaic. This one, made in Bucharest, Romania…
Medal of Appreciation
In 1860, the Austrian Jewish community commissioned a medal of appreciation for Franz Joseph to commemorate the emperor’s granting to Jews the right to own property within the Austrian Empire. On the…
Torah Scroll and Case
The origin of this Torah scroll is in Turkey. It was donated by the Camondo family, one of the most important Jewish families in Istanbul, many of whose members settled in Paris and greatly…