The Etymologies of Isidore of Seville appears in this St. Gall manuscript from the second third of the 9th century, which is characterized by reorgainizations of the text as well as numerous corrections and additions made during the same period. The schematic drawings are in color, and the flyleaf contains a fragment with Anglo-Saxon minuscule from the end of the 8th century. (red)

Online Since: 07/31/2009

This manuscript contains the full text of the Pentateuch and haftarot (weekly readings from the Prophets). The manuscript has six illuminated initial word panels found at the beginning of each of the books of the Pentateuch and at the heading of the haftarot. The semi-cursive Sephardic Hebrewscript and other codicological features of this manuscript point toward a Sephardic origin from the second half of the fifteenth century. It is likely that the Braginsky Pentateuch was the work of an artist who was active in the Lisbon School, which is known for producing around 30 distinctive manuscripts characterized by their largely non-figurative decoration: filigree initial word panels, floral and abstract pen work in purple ink, and multicolored dots and flowers. (red)

Online Since: 10/13/2016

The "Counting of the Omer" is the ritual counting of the 49 days between Passover and Shavuot, the Feast of Weeks. In this manuscript, these days and their corresponding numbers, are inscribed in 49 quatrefoils. F. 18r shows a menorah with the seven verses of Psalm 67 inscribed in microscript on the seven arms of the candelabrum. The scribe Baruch ben Shemaria from Brest-Litovsk (Belarus) created this manuscript in Amsterdam in 1795 for Aaron ben Abraham Prinz, of Alkmaar in the Netherlands, as noted on the title page. The drawing on f. 1r, a page of calligraphic decoration, depicts the giant Samson as Atlas, since, according to rabbinical tradition, he was endowed with superhuman strength. (red)

Online Since: 12/18/2014

Shelomo bar Joshua Adeni (1567-1625) was a Jewish scholar who devoted himself primarily to the study of the Mishnah (the first major written redaction of the Oral Torah). According to tradition, he spent three decades working on his commentary, writing his own thoughts and remarks in the margins next to and around the text of his printed edition of the complete Mishnah. His notes became so crowded that he himself had difficulty deciphering them, whereupon a patron enabled him to rewrite his collection of thoughts into a coherent work; the result is this Mishnah commentary. The Mishnah consists of six orders; this text is a commentary on the first part, the Zera’im ("Seeds"), pertaining to blessings, prayers and laws related to agriculture. The Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York holds a corresponding commentary on the sixth order of the Mishnah, the Tohorot ("Purities") (MS Rab33). It is dated 1611, so we can assume that our manuscript was written earlier. (red)

Online Since: 03/19/2015

The Roman rite, generally known as Nussah Roma, is the oldest order of prayer outside the ancient lands of Israel and Babylonia, retaining many old Palestinian traditions. The ornamentation of this manuscript includes many attractive initial word panels, decorated with geometric designs and floral pen work, usually in red and blue ink. The illuminated opening page contains the initial word Ribbon (Master [of all Worlds]), which is set within a rectangular panel with red and blue filigree pen work and gold-leaf letters. In the bottom border there is an unidentified family emblem depicting a rampant lion. The manuscript was copied by Samson ben Eljah Halfan, a member of the Halfan family of scribes and scholars, whose ancestors were among a group of Jews who were expelled from France in 1394 and found refuge in Piedmont, in northern Italy. (red)

Online Since: 10/13/2016

This codex contains prayers for the circumcision ceremony. The ceremony, depicted on f. 10r, takes place in a synagogue. The prophet Elijah, who will come in order to announce the advent of the Messiah, is considered to be present at the ceremony. An illustration on f. 18r depicts the blessing over wine. The decoration is the work of the illustrator Uri Fayvesh ben Isaac Segal, who was a prominent representative of the so-called Hamburg-Altona school for the production of 18th-century illuminated manuscripts, and who, according to current research, produced at least five more manuscripts in addition to this one. The title page bears the name of the owner, Joseph ben Samuel, as well as a not yet identified coat of arms with the Order of the Elephant, the highest order of the Royal House of Denmark. (red)

Online Since: 12/18/2014

Apart from the daily prayers, this manuscript also contains kabbalistic commentaries and kavvanot (mystical intentions). In the kabbalistic school of Safed (Upper Galilee), the mystical aspect of prayer, as “the vehicle of the soul's mystical ascent to God,” is of great importance. The authorship of this prayer books is generally attributed to Isaac ben Solomon Luria (1534–1572). The manuscript begins with an unfinished title page that contains a decorative floral border in red, yellow and green, but without any text. In the ornamental colorful border there is the inscription “Samuel ha-Kohen, cantor in Broda,” who is either the copyist or perhaps the person for whom the book was written. The manuscript was a part of the collection of Naphtali Herz van Biema (1836-1901), an Amsterdam collector, whose books were auctioned in 1904. Many of these books had previously belonged to his wife's family of prominent orthodox philanthropists and bibliophiles known as the Amsterdam Lehren family. (red)

Online Since: 10/13/2016

In 1728 Meir Cohen Belinfante copied this decorated psalter from the 1670 printed edition by the Amsterdam printer of Hebrew and Spanish books, David de Castro Tartas, who was active between 1662 and 1698. The manuscript has a decorated title page, which depicts David, the psalmist, and Aaron, making a clear reference to the first name of the patron, whereas the bottom part of this page portrays a scene of the biblical Joseph, making a correlation with the patron's father, also named Joseph. All decorations, including the title page, were executed in brown ink similar to the text ink. At the end of the manuscript, there is a text by the corrector, Isaac Saruk, who praised the precision of the manuscript and wrote a poem in honor of the patron Aaron de Joseph de Pinto, from whom the manuscript takes its name. (red)

Online Since: 10/13/2016

This codex contains prayers, blessings and poems for a wedding ceremony, following the custom of the Jews of the island of Corfu. Additional poems are by a variety of poets, some by writers of the Hebrew Golden Age in medieval Spain, others by local authors, such as Elieser de Mordo. This manuscript is of great significance due to a cycle of sixty full-page illustrations from the Book of Genesis, executed in gouache. The illustrations are accompanied by Hebrew inscriptions, usually biblical verses identifying the scenes. They are the work of an artist, probably trained in Venice, who added his monogram in different variants (MC or M.C. MF.) to almost all of the illustrations. The left to right sequence of the pages suggests that a Christian artist must have first created the illustrations, and that the Hebrew texts were added afterwards. This manuscript from the first half of the 18th century, created on the island of Corfu, may have been a bridal gift from a member of the de Mordo family, a family which played an important role on the island at a time when the Venetian rule had to be defended against Ottoman attacks. (red)

Online Since: 12/18/2014

This collection of cosmological treatises contains excerpts from a larger manuscript, presumably written by the same scribe Moses, which now is part of the Schoenberg Collection at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia (ljs 057). The manuscript contains tables on lunar motion by Jacob ben David Jomtow (Bonjorn); three astrological works by Abraham ibn Ezra (1089 - about 1164): a fragment of Reshit Hokhman ("Beginning of Wisdom"), the larger part of Mischpetei ha-Mazzalaot ("Judgments of the Constellations") and the larger part of Sefer ha-Olam ("Book of the World"); and, as the last part the Sefer ha-Mivharim le-Batlamyus, i.e. Ptolemy’s "Almagest". On f. 15r and f. 15v there are three images of constellations from classical antiquity: Orion (Ha-Gibbor ba-Te’omim, "the hero of twins") in bare feet and with a scimitar (f. 15r), Eridanus (Ha-Nahar, "river") and Lepus (Ha-Arnevet, "hare") (f. 15v). The imagery is based on the Arabic "Book of Fixed Stars", written in 964 by the Persian astronomer Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi. (red)

Online Since: 03/19/2015

The manuscript contains the homiletical commentary on the Pentateuch written by the greatest Yemenite Jewish poet Shalom Shabazi. Little reliable information about Shabazi's life is available. What is known comes from his own works, some 550 poems and a few other texts. Shlomo Zuker, on the basis of careful comparison with a number of other signed manuscripts, notably two manuscripts in the National Library of Israel, a Mishneh Torah fragment (Heb. Ms. 8° 6570) and a Tikhal of 1677 (Yah. Heb. 152), identified this Braginsky manuscript as an autograph of Shabazi. The text of this manuscript, containing the commentary on Genesis 37-Deuteronomy 31, differs from other known versions of the commentary. (red)

Online Since: 10/13/2016

This manuscript contains one of the four autographs of Elijah ben Solomon Zalman, known as the Vilna Gaon ("exceptional Talmud Scholar") (1720–1797). He was revered during his lifetime already and is considered the most important scholar among Lithuanian Ashkenazi Jews; his teaching influences Judaism up to today. This autograph comments on a passage of the Zohar, the classic work of Jewish mysticism. The comments from this manuscript were printed in the 19th century, carefully reproducing even the marginal notes and corrections in this manuscript. (red)

Online Since: 03/19/2015

This commentary by Bezalel Ranschburg (1762-1820), an important rabbi in the Jewish community of Prague, treats two difficult Talmud tractates: Horayot and Niddah; several passages from the commentary were printed as marginal glosses in the standard edition of the Talmud. Ranschburg was also the author of Responsa ("rabbinic answers") and other commentaries, now lost. This manuscript contains the imprimatur of the censor at the time, Carolus Fischer (1775-1844), as required in the 18th and early 19th century Austro-Hungarian Empire for printing Hebrew books. Despite the imprimatur of Fischer, a Christian who defended Hebrew language and literature against Christian detractors, this manuscript was first printed only in 1957. (red)

Online Since: 03/19/2015

Isaac of Corbeil († 1280) is the author of this halakhic Small Book of Commandments also known as Sefer Mitzvot Katan (abbreviated SeMaK). This abridged version of the 613 positive and negative biblical commandments, and a few additional rabbinic ones, has been divided into seven daily sections to be read sequentially and completed once a week. After becoming popular in France, the SeMaK quickly reached Germany, where it was recognized as an authoritative halakhic work. This manuscript, B115, is the latest of the three manuscripts in the Braginsky Collection (also B240 and B182), exemplifying the complex diffusion of the SeMaK in Germany. The glosses are the work of Moses of Zurich, who lived in Zurich in the middle of the fourteenth century. Consequently, manuscripts containing Moses' glosses are called the Zürcher. Often comments and glosses in the form of rectangular shaped “windows” were added in the margins or in the text itself, producing aesthetically pleasing and imaginative page layouts. By not identifying the sources of these glosses, scribes frequently created difficulties in determining authorship of the commentaries. (red)

Online Since: 10/13/2016

The importance of the Braginsky Pentateuch for the textual criticism of the Hebrew Bible is comparable to that of MS L44a of the Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary in New York, copied in Toledo in 1241. The Braginsky manuscript was copied in Spain, most likely in the second half of the fourteenth century, based on what was considered the original Hillel Codex. No trace of an original Hillel Codex has survived; it may have been used for the last time for a Pentateuch edition of Guadalajara, Spain, shortly before 1492. In truth, it is not clear whether the Hillel Codex ever existed, or whether it was a legend known from secondary sources. The manuscript is still bound in an old blind-tooled leather binding with (later?) brass ornamentation and clasps. (red)

Online Since: 10/13/2016

This manuscript by Jacob ben Asher (son of the rabbi and codifier Asher ben Jehiel) contains one of the oldest copies of the Jewish code Arba’ah Turim. The entire work treats all rules of Jewish law concerning prayers and the synagog. This manuscript contains only the first of four parts. The main text is surrounded by many glosses and commentaries; noteworthy is an autograph note by the influential 15th century German rabbi Jacob Weil in Slavic. The manuscript offers variant readings to the standard editions and contains some otherwise unknown Responsa ("rabbinic answers") by the important Rabbi Israel Isserlin (1390-1460). (red)

Online Since: 03/19/2015

This manuscript contains the seven chapters of the aphorisms of Hippocrates in the Hebrew translation of Hillel ben Samuel of Verona (ca. 1220 – ca. 1295); in contrast to other extant translations, it is based on the Latin translation of Constantinus Africanus († before 1098/99) rather than on the Arabic translation from the Greek. The translation is accompanied by the commentary of Moses ben Isaac da Rieti (1388 - after 1460), Chief Rabbi of Rome and poet. His commentary is based largely on the commentaries of Moses Maimonides (1138 - 1240) and of Galen of Pergamum (second century AD). This manuscript preserves the first of two well-known versions of the commentary. The dating is based on the identification of the watermark in the paper. (red)

Online Since: 12/18/2014

The author of the text of this manuscript, Moses ben Jacob Cordovero (1522-1570), was considered one of the leading figures of the kabbalistic movement in the city of Safed (Upper Galilee), which became the new center of the kabbalistic movement after the expulsion of the Jews from the Iberian Peninsula. One of the most important concepts among the kabbalists of Safed was that of mystical prayer, whilst the central concept in this doctrine was that of kavvanah (mystical intention; plural, kavvanot). The Tefillah le-Moshe (Moses' Prayers) contains kavvanot for weekdays and the Shabbat. The round Hebrew cursive, semi-cursive, and square scripts used in the manuscript are enhanced by a variety of pen-work foliage designs. On the title page the scribe referred to himself as “young and insignificant, worm and not a man, AR”I in the city of Modena.” Ari is the Hebrew word for “lion”, but should be understood here as an abbreviation of the copyist’s name, perhaps the well-known writer Juday Aryeh (Leone) Modena (1571-1648). (red)

Online Since: 10/13/2016

The titel of this mohel book (circumcision book) from 1716 is Book of the Lord’s Mystery with the [commentary] "Golden Scepter"; based on the style and script of the scribe (Sofer), it can be attributed to Aryeh ben Judah Leib of Trebitsch (Moravia), who was active in Vienna. The manuscript contains several illustrations of various scenes: among others on the title page there is a depiction of a group of people in a synagog engaged in a discussion. It is noteworthy that not only men, but also women are present. The second folio shows the archangel Raphael with the young Tobias, who is carrying home a fish to cure his father’s blindness. The archangel Raphael as guardian angel of children is a motif that usually occurs only in Christian art. Aryeh ben Judah Leib might have used an unknown Catholic model in order to better illustrate the protective function of circumcision for Jewish boys. In his writing, Aryeh ben Judah was guided by Amsterdam letters and thus initiated the fashion of be-otijjot Amsterdam ("with Amsterdam letters"), producing manuscripts with Amsterdam (print) fonts. (red)

Online Since: 03/19/2015

In addition to the Seder Birkat ha-Mazon ("Grace after Meals"), this mid-18th century manuscript contains the Birkhot ha-Nehenin ("Blessings over Enjoyments"), the Shalosh Mitzvot Nashim ("Three Commandments for Women") and the Seder Keri’at Shema al ha-Mittah ("Reading of the Shema before retiring at night"). The passages relating to the three commandments imposed on women indicate that the book was meant as a bridal gift. Besides the image on the front page, the book contains 22 smaller colored illustrations. A Hebrew phrase on the the title page refers to the place of origin, Deutschkreutz in Burgenland (Austria). Based on stylistic characteristics of the script and decoration, the manuscript can be attributed to the scribe and illustrator Aaron Wolf Herlingen. (red)

Online Since: 12/18/2014

The psalms in this manuscript are subdivided according to the days of the week on which they are to be read and, with exception of the psalms for Friday, these daily sections have decorated monochrome or multicolored initial word panels. The manuscript has an architectural title page representing Moses and Aaron standing in arches. Particularly impressive is the picture at the beginning of the first Psalm where, following the initial word ashre, on folio 6v is a depiction of King David sitting outside on the terrace of a palace, playing the harp while looking at an open volume, which most probably represents his psalms. This Braginsky manuscript has been copied and decorated by Moses Judah Leib ben Wolf Broda of Trebitsch, who is also responsible for perhaps the most famous decorated Hebrew manuscript of the eighteenth century – the Von Geldern Haggadah of 1723. Including this Braginsky psalter, a total of seven manuscripts by Moses Judah Leib are known, produced between 1713-1723. The brown mottled calf binding carries the emblem of the De Pinto family of Amsterdam tooled in gold on both the front and the back covers. (red)

Online Since: 10/13/2016

The fast day Yom Kippur Katan has its origin in the holiday of Rosh Hodesh, which in biblical times marked the first day in the lunar calendar on which the crescent moon was visible after a new moon. This day, when work originally was not allowed, later, through the compilation of the Talmud, developed into a minor festival. The mystics of Safed in Upper Galilee turned Rosh Hodesh into a fast day and developed a liturgy based on penitential prayers for Yom Kippur ("Day of Atonement"). This gave rise to the name Yom Kippur Katan ("Minor Day of Atonement"). The new custom spread to Italy and finally on to Northern Europe. Similar collections of prayers were particularly popular in the 18th century. In contrast to many others, this exemplar is decorated with an illustrated title page. If Judah Leib ben Meir of Glogau had not identified himself as scribe on this title page, it would probably be assumed to be the work of Aaron Wolf Herlingen of Gewitsch, since the style and the script correspond to his. For the time being, one can only speculate about the connection between Herlingen and the actual scribe Meir. (red)

Online Since: 03/19/2015

Joseph (Juspa), shammes of Worms (1604-1678), recorded the everyday life, the rites and the customs of the Jewish community in Worms, one of the oldest and most important in all of Europe. This autograph manuscript contains commentaries on the prayer book, on the Birkat Hamason ("Grace after Meals"), on the Haggadah and on the Pirkei Avot ("Sayings of the Fathers") as well as prayer-related customs and autobiographical remarks. The comments on Minhagim ("customs") were incorporated into the printed edition of the Wormser Minhagbuch, but large parts of this manuscript remain unpublished and serve as an important source for the religious history of one of the most significant Jewish communities in Europe. This manuscript belonged to, among others, Rabbi Michael Scheyer; later it was part of the private library of Salman Schocken in Jerusalem. (red)

Online Since: 03/19/2015

At the end of the last volume (Vol. 4) of this Hebrew Bible with Masoretic comments (textual criticism) is the older colophon, which states that Isaac ben Ishai Sason completed it in 1491 in Ocaña, (Spain). At the end of the original first volume, now the second volume (Vol. 2), another colophon states that this part was completed in 1494 in Evora in the Kingdom of Portugal, two years after the expulsion of the Jews from Spanish Castile. Originally this Bible was divided into two parts, presenting an unusual, non-canonical order of the books. In the 19th century, it was divided into four volumes (Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3, Vol. 4), received a new binding and was decorated with a purple leather cover and gold embossing. In the 18th century, this Bible was housed in the Convent of the Discalced Carmelites of S. Paolo in Florence; after the convent was sacked by Napoleonic forces, the manuscript was probably in the Vatican Library, but in 1827 already it was sold in England. Before coming to the Braginsky Collection in Zurich, it was part of the collection of Beriah Botfield. (red)

Online Since: 12/17/2015

At the end of the last volume (Vol. 4) of this Hebrew Bible with Masoretic comments (textual criticism) is the older colophon, which states that Isaac ben Ishai Sason completed it in 1491 in Ocaña, (Spain). At the end of the original first volume, now the second volume (Vol. 2), another colophon states that this part was completed in 1494 in Evora in the Kingdom of Portugal, two years after the expulsion of the Jews from Spanish Castile. Originally this Bible was divided into two parts, presenting an unusual, non-canonical order of the books. In the 19th century, it was divided into four volumes (Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3, Vol. 4), received a new binding and was decorated with a purple leather cover and gold embossing. In the 18th century, this Bible was housed in the Convent of the Discalced Carmelites of S. Paolo in Florence; after the convent was sacked by Napoleonic forces, the manuscript was probably in the Vatican Library, but in 1827 already it was sold in England. Before coming to the Braginsky Collection in Zurich, it was part of the collection of Beriah Botfield. (red)

Online Since: 12/17/2015

At the end of the last volume (Vol. 4) of this Hebrew Bible with Masoretic comments (textual criticism) is the older colophon, which states that Isaac ben Ishai Sason completed it in 1491 in Ocaña, (Spain). At the end of the original first volume, now the second volume (Vol. 2), another colophon states that this part was completed in 1494 in Evora in the Kingdom of Portugal, two years after the expulsion of the Jews from Spanish Castile. Originally this Bible was divided into two parts, presenting an unusual, non-canonical order of the books. In the 19th century, it was divided into four volumes (Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3, Vol. 4), received a new binding and was decorated with a purple leather cover and gold embossing. In the 18th century, this Bible was housed in the Convent of the Discalced Carmelites of S. Paolo in Florence; after the convent was sacked by Napoleonic forces, the manuscript was probably in the Vatican Library, but in 1827 already it was sold in England. Before coming to the Braginsky Collection in Zurich, it was part of the collection of Beriah Botfield. (red)

Online Since: 12/17/2015

At the end of the last volume (Vol. 4) of this Hebrew Bible with Masoretic comments (textual criticism) is the older colophon, which states that Isaac ben Ishai Sason completed it in 1491 in Ocaña, (Spain). At the end of the original first volume, now the second volume (Vol. 2), another colophon states that this part was completed in 1494 in Evora in the Kingdom of Portugal, two years after the expulsion of the Jews from Spanish Castile. Originally this Bible was divided into two parts, presenting an unusual, non-canonical order of the books. In the 19th century, it was divided into four volumes (Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3, Vol. 4), received a new binding and was decorated with a purple leather cover and gold embossing. In the 18th century, this Bible was housed in the Convent of the Discalced Carmelites of S. Paolo in Florence; after the convent was sacked by Napoleonic forces, the manuscript was probably in the Vatican Library, but in 1827 already it was sold in England. Before coming to the Braginsky Collection in Zurich, it was part of the collection of Beriah Botfield. (red)

Online Since: 12/17/2015

This manuscript contains an Evronot ("Rules for Calculation of the Calendar"). Many so-called Sifre evoronot ("Books of calculation") emerged in the 17th and 18th centuries. They can be taken as a reaction to the Gregorian calendar, introduced in 1582. Such manuscripts often depict the biblical Issachar, one of Jacob’s sons, on or near a ladder; as an attribute, he holds an hourglass in his hand. This manuscript has two such miniatures; above the first of which there is also an illustration of a waning and a waxing moon with a human face and stars. The title page depicts an ornamental architectural arch. At the end of the book, there is the familiar motif of Moses seated at a table holding the Tablets of the Law. (red)

Online Since: 03/19/2015

The halakhic text Shibbolei ha-Leket ("Ears of Gleaning") by Zedekia ben Abraham Anav of Rom (ca. 1225-1297) contains one of the first attempts of codifying Jewish religious law in Italy and of presenting a systematic overview thereof. The text is divided into 12 sections of a total of 372 paragraphs; its content addresses the rules concerning the order of the prayers and the laws for Shabbat, holidays and feasts, in addition to other halakhic subjects, which are presented from a markedly Ashkenazic perspective. The manuscript is not dated. It was copied by the scribes Moses and Samuel either during the lifetime or shortly after the death of the author and thus is one of the earliest surviving copies of the text. (red)

Online Since: 12/18/2014

The Spanish kabbalist Abraham Abulafia (1240- after 1291) advocated a concept of Kabbalah that had little or nothing to do with the well-known schools of thought. He considered Kabbalah neither as a form of gnosis nor as a kind of theosophical theory that concentrates on the Sefirot, the emanation of the Divine Being. Instead he attempted to attain a state of prophetic-mystical ecstasy, based on his conviction that the experience of the prophets was an ecstatic experience and that all true mystics were prophets. This work of his was especially popular and circulated under the titles Hayyei ha-Olam ha-Ba ("Life of the World to Come"), Sefer ha-Shem ("Book of the Divine Name") or Sefer ha-Iggulim ("Book of Circles"); in this manuscript, however, it is called Sefer ha-Shem ha-Meforash ("Book of the Ineffable name"). The manuscript presents ten inscriptions in concentric circles in red and black ink, as well as 128 only in black ink. They contain detailed instructions for mystical meditation. While contemplating these circles, one should recite the 72-lettered name of God, which is arrived at by combining the numerical values of the letters in the names of the twelve tribes of Israel, of the Patriarchs, and the nine letters of the words shivtei yisra’el ("the tribes of Irasel"). The reader should "enter" each of the triple black and red circles at the point where an "entrance" is designated by means of a small pen stroke. (red)

Online Since: 12/18/2014

The book Minhagim ("Religious Customs") is attributed to Samuel of Ulm, although the authorship is not unequivocally clear. Contentwise the manuscript contains various teachings based on the views of Jacob Moellin (1360-1427). He is regarded as one of the most important spiritual authorities of the Ashkenazic world. The manuscript probably was written in the last third of the 15th century in Northern Italy, since the pen drawings can be placed in the Northern Italian tradition of that period. Several motifs from the manuscript seem to "grow" out of an ornament, such as a head with a bumpy nose and heavy eyelids or a long city wall with round towers, and are considered typical for Joel ben Simeon, the most important representative of this Northern Italian tradition of illustration. (red)

Online Since: 12/18/2014

This obviously much-used manuscript is in good overall condition; it is written in an elegant square and semi-cursive Ashkenazic script. It contains daily prayers and piyyutim for holidays and special occasions. In addition, it contains the entire text of the Haggadah, which at this time already tended to be copied out separately. The manuscript contains interesting evidence of the influence of censorship. During the Middle Ages, the prayer Alenu le-shabbeah was believed to contain an insult to Christianity. As in many other cases, here, too, the controversial passage was omitted by the copyist (f. 19r-v). In the 16th century, the entire manuscript was inspected by Dominico Irosolimitano in Mantua, one of the most active censors of Jewish writings in Italy. However, he did not expurgate a single passage, but merely signed the last page of the manuscript (f. 112v), thus confirming his inspection. (red)

Online Since: 12/18/2014

The anonymous hymn of praise to the Creator Perek schira has been preserved in hundreds of manuscripts. Most of the important 18th-century Hebrew book illustrators illustrated the hymn. This manuscript was written for Hertz ben Leib Darmstadt of Frankfurt am Main and contains pen drawings by Meshulam Zimmel ben Moses from Polna/Bohemia; however, he probably produced this manuscript in Vienna. (red)

Online Since: 12/18/2014

This Miscellany for Life Cycle Events from the last third of the 15th century was probably a wedding gift. It was copied by Leon ben Joshua de Rossi of Cesena. It contains: prayers for circumcision; a formula for a marriage contract from Correggio 1452 (without names); texts for marriage rituals, including a hymn with the acrostic El’azar; a marriage contract, concluded in Parma in 1420 between Judah, son of Elhanan of Ascoli Piceno, and Stella, daughter of Solomon of Mantua; prayers recited at the cemetery with a Grace after Meals for mourners; a ritual for avoiding bad dreams; Ka’arat kesef, an ethical poem by the 13th-century Provençal poet Jehoseph ben Hanan ben Nathan Ezobi; finally, added in a different hand, a personal prayer by Moses Latif for Joab Immanuel Finzi. Immediately following the contract, there is a depiction of a bridal couple (f. 10v). The bride’s headdress, clothing and veil correspond to the contemporary fashion of Ferrara, which confirms that the manuscript is of Italian origin, perhaps even from Ferrara. (red)

Online Since: 12/18/2014

This Passover Haggadah with a Yiddish translation of the hymn Had Gadya (f. 23r) was copied and illustrated by Nathan ben Simson of Mezeritsch (now Velke Mezirici, Tschechische Republik). It contains, among others, a decorated title page, a cycle depicting ceremonies performed during the Jewish Passover seder, nine text illustrations, and a cycle for the concluding hymn Had Gadya (f. 23r). (red)

Online Since: 12/18/2014

This is the earliest known manuscript of Moses of Coucy's classic legal code and also the earliest dated codex in the Braginsky Collection. The Sefer Mitzvot Gadol (abbreviated the SeMaG) became a major and accepted source of halakhic rulings. It was frequently quoted and abridged; many commentaries were composed on it. The manuscript was copied by Hayyim ben Meir ha-Levi in 1288, possibly in Sierre, (Switzerland). This hypothesis is based on the fact that in the Biblothèque national in Paris there is another manuscript (ms. hébr.370) of the same work, by the same scribe, which is assumed to have been copied in Sierre a few years later than the Braginsky manuscript. More than two centuries after the writing of the manuscript, in 1528, Joseph ben Kalonymos acquired it in Posen (Poland) and completed the few leaves that were missing by that time. (red)

Online Since: 10/13/2016

The Massekhet Purim contained in this manuscript is a Purim parody by the Provençal author and translator Kalonymus ben Kalonymus (Arles 1286- after 1328), who wrote this work in Rome in the early 1320s. The text is about eating, drinking and drunkenness during Purim. The author humorously imitated the text and style of the Talmud. The illustrations include depictions of harlequins, of a street musician and of seven playing cards represented as trompe l’œil, which is rarely found in Hebrew manuscripts. The codex was copied in Amsterdam in 1752, at a time when this work was very popular in the Ashkenazic Jewish community. (red)

Online Since: 12/18/2014

This collection of eleven documents in Italian concerning the condemnation and burning of the Talmud relate to one of the darkest periods in the history of the Hebrew book. The collection of documents constitute a more or less chronological account of the events and were probably a part of a file that belonged to a Venetian Inquisitor. Reproduced here is a summary (regesta) of six papal briefs from 1518-1537, in which Popes Leo X, Clement VII, and Paul III grant Daniel Bomberg licenses to print Hebrew books in Venice. Other documents include: orders to converted former Jews to inspect Hebrew texts for heretical content, copies of the relevant papal decrees, and reports on the events in Rome and Venice. (red)

Online Since: 03/22/2017

This manuscript is a masterpiece of Jewish book art by Aaron Wolf Herlingen, an artist born around 1700 in Gewitsch, Moravia, who worked in Pressburg (now Bratislava), Vienna, and perhaps elsewhere. About 40 manuscripts signed by him are extant today. This manuscript is ornamented with 60 painted illustrations and three word panels with decorated initials. The title page depicts Moses and Aaron on either side of the title. The area below the title shows the Israelites wandering through the desert and manna falling from heaven, alongside Moses, Aaron and their sister Miriam. Such a very unusual depiction of Miriam suggests that this Haggadah was produced for a woman of that name. At the end of the text there are two songs - one in Hebrew, the other in Aramaic - Echad mi-yodea and Had Gadya, with their respective Yiddish translations. (red)

Online Since: 12/18/2014

The Hijman Binger Haggadah is a typical example of Hebrew manuscript decoration in Central and Northern Europe at the end of the 18th and the beginning of the 19th centuries. Picture cycles accompany the written content. The illustrations show similarities to later Haggadot by Joseph ben David of Leipnik, such as the Haggadah from 1739 (Braginsky Collection ‬B317) and suggest that a Haggadah by this artist served as Hijman Binger’s model. Another rare feature of this manuscript is a map of the Holy Land, which was added at the very end (f. 52). (red)

Online Since: 03/19/2015

This book of prayers for the Mohel, who performs circumcisions, consists of only a few leaves; according to a note on the title page, it was a gift from Mendel Rosenbaum to his brother-in-law Joseph Elsas of Nitra (now in Slovakia, but formerly in Hungary). The manuscript is signed by Leib Zahr Sofer (scribe); the work of this unknown artist shows a close formal relationship to that of the most important calligrapher and illustrator working in Nitra in the early 19th century, Mordecai ben Josl (alias Marcus Donath). The final page has a calligram with the figure of Moses, holding the Tablets of the Law in one hand and pointing to the Pentateuch with the other hand. (red)

Online Since: 12/18/2014

This codex was copied by Eliezer Sussman Mezeritsch and illustrated by Charlotte Rothschild (1807-1859); in addition to the Hebrew text, it contains a German translation. The Haggadah was created by the artist for her uncle Amschel Mayer Rothschild on the occasion of his 70th birthday. This is the only Hebrew manuscript known to have been illuminated by a woman. Charlotte Rothschild was inspired by Christian and Jewish works, e.g., medieval manuscripts, the biblical cycle painted in the Vatican loggias by the workshop of Raphael and the copperplate engravings of the printed Amsterdam Haggadah of 1695. Charlotte Rothschild left her initials in only a single picture, the seder scene of the Passover celebration, on the back of a chair in the foreground of the picture (p. 42). This manuscript presumably served as model for the famous artist Moritz Daniel Oppenheim (1800-1882). In his memoirs he recalls that as a student he created sketches for Charlotte Rothschild. (red)

Online Since: 03/19/2015

Magnificent manuscript with the text of the Haggadah; each page is decorated with rich borders of floral elements and with pen drawings in gold and lapis lazuli surrounding the text. Stylistically the decoration closely emulates Persian miniatures, especially works from the school of Shiraz of the period between 1560 and 1580. The execution of this work is attributed to Victor Bouton, born 1819 in Lorraine and active in Paris as illustrator, heraldic painter and engraver. This attribution is based on another, also sumptuously decorated manuscript signed by the artist, which Edmond James de Rothschild had commissioned as a gift for his mother and which contains a biographical note that this artist had received the enormous sum of 32,000 gold francs from a wealthy Jew for a Haggadah. The only illustration (f. 1v) depicts the celebration on the first evening of Passover; a group of five men and two women in oriental dress sit a the Seder table while the master of the house is reciting the benediction over the wine. (red)

Online Since: 03/19/2015

This calligram depicting King David playing a harp comprises the Latin text of what is known as the Seven Penitential Psalms (6, 31, 37, 50, 101, 129 and 142) and of Psalm 138. The calligram is signed by the well-known Jewish scribe-artist Aaron Wolf Herlingen, the creator of the Haggadah from 1725 (B284) in the Braginsky Collection. The artist used a technique in which text is written in miniscule letters, also known as micrography. Herlingen wrote this calligram for Prince Joseph II (1741-1790), the son of Empress Maria Theresa and Emperor Francis I. (red)

Online Since: 12/20/2016

Until the Braginsky Leipnik Haggadah was acquired for the Braginsky Collection in 2007, this Haggadah was not known in scholarly literature. It was illustrated by Joseph ben David of Leipnik in 1739. Like most of the Haggadot at that time, this exemplar is largely dependent on the copper engravings of the printed Amsterdam Haggadot of 1695 and 1712. The characteristics of Joseph ben David’s illustrations, whose work is well-known, are rendered here in an exemplary manner. The color palette is dominated by subtle gradations of color and shades of pastel. Frequently recurring motifs in his Haggadot, based on older models, are the illustrations of the Paschal lamb, the matzah and the bitter herbs. Eating these is part of the feast of Passover, during which it is tradition to read the Haggadah together. (red)

Online Since: 03/19/2015

This thin little book with a gilt embossed leather binding contains the prayers for the celebration on the evening before the new moon; it was commissioned by Elieser (Lazarus) von Geldern in Vienna. Following convention, the title page shows Moses and Aaron. The writer and illustrator Nathan ben Simson from Meseritsch (Velké Meziříčí) in Moravia was among the most prominent artists of illustrated Hebrew manuscripts in the first half of the 18th century. Between 1723 and 1739, he created at least 23 such works. (red)

Online Since: 12/20/2016

The "Counting of the Omer" is a blessing that takes place during the 49 days from the second day of Passover until the beginning of Shavuot. Omer denotes the first sheaf of the harvest that is offered as a sacrifice in the Temple in Jerusalem on the second day of Passover. Omer calendars were especially popular in the 18th century and were available in many different designs. This booklet is part of a group of a total of six similar Omer books in miniature format that can be dated to the late 18th and early 19th century. The silver binding has a monogram on the front cover and on the back cover it has an engraving of a stork-like bird with a stalk of wheat in its beak. The manuscript contains 50 illustrations that accompany almost every day of the calendar. (red)

Online Since: 03/19/2015

This miniature book contains the Grace after Meals with the usual supplements for Hanukkah and Purim, as well as various blessings, such as the Shema prayer before retiring at night or for the enjoyment of certain things. The book has an illustrated title page, 19 individual illustrations, five decorated boxes containing individual letters or initial words and a decorated text passage. On the title page the artist did not record his name, but did note that the manuscript was created in Nikolsburg (Czechia) in 1725 during the reign of Emperor Charles VI. Like other Birkat ha-mason, this one, too, was written for a woman: a fly-leaf, added later, contains an elaborate ornament with a dedication to Fradche, wife of Moses Gundersheim. A comparison with the writing and illustrations in a similar work from 1728 in the Kongelige Bibliotek in Copenhagen (Cod. Hebr. XXXII) shows that both Birkat ha-mason manuscripts were created by the same artist, namely Samuel ben Zewi Hirsch Drenitz, who was active in Nikolsburg. (red)

Online Since: 12/20/2016

This small-format manuscript from the 17th century contains hymnal prayers, poems and blessings for the circumcision ceremony. Two sections of the book contain illustrated pages. In addition to the title page, which is decorated with a Renaissance portal, there are eleven illustrations with biblical themes and four contemporary scenes regarding birth and circumcision. Several of these illustrations are influenced by Frederico Zuccaro (around 1540-1609) and Raphael. (red)

Online Since: 12/20/2016

Until 1800, the University of Padua was the most important center for Jewish students, whereas the University of Bologna’s registers list no Jews. Doctoral diplomas served as an entrance ticket for Jewish doctors into the modern society of nobles and bourgeois. The University of Padua issued its graduates hand-written and decorated diplomas in Latin. The initial page of the diploma for Israel Baruch Olmo shows the emblem of the Olmo family: an elm, flanked by a bubbling fountain and a stalk of grain. (red)

Online Since: 12/20/2016

This miniature prayer book is the result of a unique collaboration of two of the most eminent Viennese representatives of 18th century Jewish book art. Aaron Wolf Herlingen wrote and illustrated the title page, Meschullam Simmel ben Moses from Polná created the other drawings and probably also wrote the prayer texts. Evidently this little book was a wedding present. The miniature prayer book contains a total of nine illustrations of the text as well as four richly decorated initial words. The prayer book belonged to the “respectable and wise maid Hindl”. The manuscript also contains entries regarding the birth of her children between 1719 and 1741. (red)

Online Since: 12/20/2016

Over the more than 650 years that have passed since this manuscript of the Mishneh Torah was created, it has passed through many hands. Various annotations and citations indicate that important Ashkenazic rabbis hat access to the manuscript, for example Jakob Weil, a well-known 15th century scholar and rabbi in Nürnberg, Augsburg, Bamberg and Erfurt. Later notes of ownership make clear that the manuscript reached such distant places as the Ottoman Empire, England, Kurdistan and Jerusalem. The page 1021 of the Mischne Tora-manuscript presents a full-page illustration with decorated portal architecture in Gothic style. Two thin pillars, lengthened in Mannerist style, support a heavy tympanum, decorated with floral scrollwork on a blue background, in which gold letters spell out the chapter title Sefer schoftim (“Book of Judges”). There are five medallions, two of which show the silhouette of an attacking bird of prey. (red)

Online Since: 03/22/2017

The writer of this Haggadah was none other than Elieser Sussman Meseritsch, named after his place of origin in Moravia, who later also copied the text of the Charlotte Rotschild Haggadah. By using three different types of writing, he clearly distinguishes three types of texts: the Hebrew text of the Haggadah, the classical Hebrew commentary by Simeon ben Zemach Duran (1361-1444), and a German translation in Hebrew letters by Wolf Heidenheim (1757-1832). The iconographic program of the Elieser Sussmann Meseritsch Haggadah is very unusual. The title page presents an architectural design of triumphal arches, where various ornamental motifs in classicist style are creatively joined together. The first four (5v-7r) of seven illustrated scenes show the four sons mentioned in the Haggadah, with one illustration dedicated to each of them; the one for the son who does not know to ask is particularly original. The next two illustrations – the crossing of the Red Sea (12r) and King David with the harp (15v) – are rather conventional. The last scene with the reconstruction of the Temple in Jerusalem as usual accompanies the text of the Adir hu (“Almighty God, rebuild your Temple soon!”). (red)

Online Since: 12/20/2016

Until it was acquired by the Braginsky Collection, this little book with the Birkat ha-mason from 1741 had not been known to research. Clearly it had originally been meant for a woman, probably as a wedding present. In addition to the title page with an architectural frame and the figures of Moses and Aaron, there are six more illustrations in the text, among them a very rare depiction of a woman only partially immersed in a ritual bath (12v) and also a rather conventional depiction of a woman reading the Shema prayer before retiring at night (17r). This little book was copied and illustrated by Jakob ben Juda Leib Schammasch from Berlin. He is known as one of the most productive Jewish manuscript artists in Northern Germany. (red)

Online Since: 12/20/2016

At the time this ketubah was produced, most of the Gibraltar’s retail trade was conducted by the local Sephardic community; many of its members came from the adjacent parts of North Africa. The present Gibraltar contract belongs to an early period of local ketubah decoration, although some of its features foretell later developments. The upper section depicts a pair of lions crouched back-to-back, overlaid with circles containing the abbreviated Ten Commandments. The composition is reminiscent of the top of Torah arks, and indeed it is topped with a crown, intended as a Torah Crown. The crouching lions are flanked by vases of flowers. In the side borders, beneath theatrical drapery and trumpets suspended from ribbons, fanciful column bases are surmounted by urns. Several elements in the marriage contract are characteristic of Gibraltar ketubot. The initial word of the wedding day, Wednesday, as was common, is enlarged and ornamented. Also typical of Gibraltar is the ornamental Latin monogram at bottom center. Comprising the letters SJB, it refers to the bridal couple’s first (Solomon, Judith) and last (Benoleil) initials. (red)

Online Since: 03/22/2017

The concept of the written document for marriage, known as ketubah (pl. ketubot), lent itself to some popular Jewish customs, including the creation of allegorical marriage contracts for Shavuot. As the holiday marks the Giving of the Law, mystical traditions asserted that on this day Moses, as the matchmaker, brought the Jewish people (the bridegroom) to Mount Sinai (the wedding place) to marry God or the Torah (the bride). While several versions of ketubot for Shavuot are known, the most popular in Sephardic communities has been the poetic text composed by the renowned mystic of Safed, Rabbi Israel Najara (1555?–1625?). Divided into three sections, the special text of this Braginsky Collection ketubah appears within an imposing wooden architectural setting, comprising three arches and a broken pediment, within which is a crowned Decalogue. The upper story employs a dynamic rhythm of decorative architectural elements. The entire structure resembles a typical Sephardic Torah ark (ehal) from the synagogues in Gibraltar. Indeed, the name of one of these synagogues, Nefuzot Yehudah, founded 1799, appears at the top. (red)

Online Since: 10/13/2016

This marriage contract was made in one of the most important Jewish communities of Italy, the Adriatic seaport of Ancona, which also was a leading center of ketubbah illustrations. The main episode at top center, depicts the prophet Elijah ascending to heaven, riding in his fiery horse-drawn chariot, while his amazed disciple, Elisha, watches below. This scene thus refers to the first name of the bridegroom, Elijah Mordecai, son of the late Judah mi-Cerrata. The other two biblical episodes appear in the cartouches at the center of each of the side borders. At right, the scene of the Triumph of Mordecai, refers to the second name of the bridegroom, Mordecai. Depicted at left is the scene of David holding the head of Goliath; it is to be understood as a reference to David Camerino, father of the bride Tova, daughter of David, son of Abraham Obedai Camerino of Senigallia. (red)

Online Since: 03/22/2017

The practice of decorating marriage contracts was revived in early seventeenth-century Amsterdam under the influence of Italian ketubah artists. In the late 1640s, the well-known Jewish engraver Shalom Italia created a copper engraving for ketubot of the Spanish-Portuguese community, which subsequently inspired an anonymous local artist to create a new modified version of this border, present in this Braginsky Collection ketubah of 1668. For more than two hundred years this border adorned Sephardic ketubot produced in Hamburg, Bayonne, London, New York and Curaçao.The calligraphic text commemorates the marriage of a known Sephardic physician, Daniel Tzemah Aboab. (red)

Online Since: 03/22/2017

This decorated ketubah, as well as Braginsky Collection K29 produced just six years earlier, represent the height of ketubah illustration in Ancona. The text of this ketubah is centered under the arch supported by a pair of ornamental columns. While arches were commonly used as framing devices in ketubah decorations since the earliest known ketubot from the Cairo Genizah, the gold letters inscribed here against the blue spandrels provide an additional meaning. The six square Hebrew letters, an acronym for Psalms 118:20: “This is the gate of the Lord, through which the righteous may enter”, signify that the bridal couple is symbolically passing through the heavenly gate into a sanctified stage in their life. A depiction of the sacrifice of Isaac, an allusion to the bridegroom whose second name is Isaac, is located in a cartouche at the top center. This scene, a symbol of faithfulness and messianic promise that appears on many italian ketubot, has been the most popular biblical story in Jewish art over the ages. The female figure beneath has not been identified so far. (red)

Online Since: 03/22/2017

The ornamentation of this ketubah, which commemorates a wedding between two important families of the Roman ghetto, Toscano and Di Segni, reflects the golden age of ketubah decoration in Rome. The decorative frame is divided into inner and outer borders. Panels adorned with flowers on painted gold fields flank the sides of the text. In the outer frames, crisscrossed micrographic inscriptions form diamond-shaped spaces, each of which contains a large flower. The design in the inner and the outer frames are surrounded by minuscule square Hebrew letters, presenting the entire four chapters of the book of Ruth. (red)

Online Since: 03/22/2017

The Roman ketubot (sing. ketubah), the Jewish marriage contracts, in general are distinguished by their elegant Hebrew calligraphy, decorative designs, and attractive appearance. The most popular decorative themes include biblical episodes, allegorical representations, and delicate micrographic designs. The contractual text of this Braginsky Collection ketubah is surrounded by an architectural frame featuring a pair of marble columns entwined by gold leaves and topped with Corinthian capitals. A large cartouche rests on the arch supported by the columns. In it is a pastoral landscape in which stand a man wearing a long robe and a bare-breasted woman, joined around their neck by a long chain of pearls with a heart-shaped pendant. Enhancing the allusion of matrimonial harmony are family emblems of the bridal couple that appear next to each other in a cartouche above the central allegorical image. The emblem at the right, above the central allegorical image, depicting a rampant lion climbing a palm tree, is that of the groom's family, Caiatte, whereas the emblem at the left, portraying a rampant lion touching a white column, belongs to the family of the bride, De Castro. Finally, the influence of Italian culture is demonstrated in the cartouche at the bottom, with the depiction of Cupid lying next to his bow and quiver. (red)

Online Since: 10/13/2016

In the 17th century, the Jewish community of Casale Monferrato had between 500 and 600 members. The widow Giuditta Leonora, daughter of Abraham Segre, and Moses, son of the deceased Isaak Katzighin, the bridal couple named in this marriage contract, both belonged to the wealthiest families of the community. The contract is surrounded by an ornamental frame. The inner oval frame, which contains six gilded rosettes, is decorated with flowers. Its corner segments each contain a large medallion depicting the four Aristotelian elements (air, water, fire and earth) and smaller medallions depicting, in a counterclockwise direction, the twelve Signs of the Zodiac. The outer frame contains gilt knot motifs as a symbol of the eternal “love knot”; the cartouches in the four corners depict allegories of the four seasons. In addition there are representations of the five senses. The tenth cartouche, at the top, intended for family crests, was never filled in. (flu)

Online Since: 10/04/2018

The Karaite ketubah, unlike the traditional Rabbinite contract, is written entirely in Hebrew and invariably comprises of two parts: shetar nissu’in and shetar ketubah. The Karaite wedding recorded in this ketubah was celebrated in the important community of Qirq-Yer in the Crimean Peninsula (West Ukraine). The two sections of the text are set inside frames painted with gold and surrounded by flowers. In the tradition of many Sephardic, Italian, and Eastern ketubot, initial words are decorated and appropriate biblical passages are included in the inner frame. The dowry list in this ketubah is longer than the marriage deed text in the first section. In accordance with the Karaite custom, many respected witnesses (here 12) were invited to sign the contract. (red)

Online Since: 12/20/2016

This marriage contract documents the agreements at the betrothal of two Samaritans, Temima, daughter of Isaac, son of ha-Levi Amram, and Abraham, son of Joseph Denufta (ha-Dinfi). Although Samaritans believe only in the Pentateuchand recognize only Moses as prophet, and although the Torah does not mandate that the rights of the wife be protected by a ketubah,the Samaritans adopted thisrabbinic custombased on Exodus 21:9 and 22:6, which mention a kind of dowry. The language of this document is Samaritan Hebrew, written in Samaritan script, reminiscent of ancient Hebrewscript.Reflecting a strict interpretation of the Second Commandment, the decoration of the ketubah is limited to floral and geometric designs in bright colors. (flu)

Online Since: 10/04/2018

The Jewish community on the ‘British Rock of Gibraltar’ reached its height in the 19th century. At the time this marriage contract (ketubbah) was produced, most of Gibraltar’s retail trade was conducted by the local Sephardic community. By the second half of the 19th century, Gibraltar developed its own characteristic type of marriage contract decoration, with large pieces of parchment ornamented in bright colors. The present ketubbah, of which an identical but later copy is preserved at the Israel Museum, Jerusalem (accession n. B72.1066 179/244H, see Sh. Sabar, Mazal Tov: Illuminated Jewish Marriage Contracts from the Israel Museum Collection, Jerusalem: The Israel Museum, 1993), is framed on either side by garlands of flowers, a luxurious red bow at the bottom and surmounted by a crown, which is reminiscent of the Torah crown, however modeled here on the British royal crown. Three other typical motifs of these Gibraltar ketubbot are the initial word of the traditional Jewish wedding day in Gibraltar, Wednesday (ברביעי), enlarged in gold lettering; the sum of the dowry and increment is a factor of eighteen, a number that is also the propitious word ‘Ḥai’ (חי) – ‘life’, written here in monumental letters sticking out of the small cursive script and lastly, the ornamental monogram in Latin letters at bottom center, which is comprised here of E C B, referring to the bridal couple’s first (Elido and Jimol) and last initials (Ben Atar/ Benatar). Elido (אלידו), son of Isaiah, son of the late Ḥaim, called Ben Atar (בן עתר) is marrying the bride Jimol (ג'ימול), daughter of Joseph, son of the late David, called Qazes (קאזיס), whose dowry is 600 Pesos Fuertes (פיזוס פואירטיס) worth of clothing, jewelry and bed linen and incremented by 600 Pesos Fuertes as a gift, to which is added a piece of land measuring 400 cubits and an additional 600 Pesos Fuertes; the total obligation is 1800 Pesos Fuertes. (iss)

Online Since: 06/18/2020

The bridal couple mentioned in this marriage contract, Dona Sarah, daughter of Jacob Guttieres Pegna (Peña) and David, son of the late Benjamin Racah (or Raccah), both are members of wealthy families of the Sephardic community of Livorno. As is customary, the ketubah lists the dowry and increment: It consists of a house on the Piazza delle Erbe with a value of 907 piesas, 6 solidos and 10 dinaros da ocho reali di Spagna, plus 150 piesas in cash and an increment valued at half of the dowry. The unusually large ketubah is decorated with interlace design in the style of “love knots”, floral scrolls, a pair of birds and two winged putti supporting a blank cartouche intended for the family emblem. (flu)

Online Since: 10/04/2018

This marriage contract between Abraham [Abramo], son of the late Jonathan Judah Finzi, and his bride Ricca, daughter of Gedaliah Senigaglia (Senigallia) names a dowry of 1,800 pezze da ocho reali – 1,200 of which in cash, 300 in gold jewelry, precious stones and pearls, and 300 in clothing and bed linen, and an  increment of 360 pezze. The text is in the lower section of the ketubah, inside a monumental double arch. The upper section depicts azure heavens with tiny gold stars. Seated on clouds is the allegory of Fama, who announces the “good name” of the groom with a fanfare. (flu)

Online Since: 10/04/2018

As in other ketubot (cf. K69 and K96), here, too, an older frame was reused, one that had been created for a marriage contract 70-80 years earlier. 13 figurative scenes are arranged within an architectural arch; the theme is the biblical story of the wedding of Isaac and Rebecca. The original ketubah may have been created for a bridal couple with these names. The series of scenes begins in the upper right with the Sacrifice of Isaac and continues clockwise with more scenes. At the top Cupid links the two family emblems with a gold ribbon. A „crown of the good name“ tops the scene. (flu)

Online Since: 10/04/2018

This ketubah was created in Essaouira by the artist David Nissim Elkaïm (see his initials in Latin letters at the lower left) documents the marriage between Solomon, son of Joshua, son of R. Abraham Makhluf ha-Levi Ben-Susan, and Freha, daughter of Makhluf, son of Masoud, son of Naphtali, grandson of Judah Afriat, both of whom were members of Sephardic families. Numerous characteristics refer to this heritage, such as the writing material (parchment), the status of women, the invocation of God to take revenge for the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, the European style of the decoration of the frame and the Latin monogram of the bride’s name. (flu)

Online Since: 12/14/2018

David, son of Daniel Coelho Enriques (or Henriques) and Dona Rachel, daughter of Abraham Enriques Da Costa, were members of a families of religious refugees from Spain and Portugal in the town of Bayonne in Southern France near the Atlantic coast. Like other Sephardic ketubot, their marriage contract does not contain depictions of human figures, which distinguishes them from ones from Italy or Amsterdam. The sharp contrast between dark ink and white parchment, the dots and the hatching give the impression of a copper engraving. The verses, written in elegant, square Sephardic script, contain praises of the bride and groom. (flu)

Online Since: 12/14/2018

In this 1722 marriage contract between Yishai (Jesse) Hay, son of R. Samuel Pesach, and Berakha Tova, daughter of R. Isaiah Modena, the artist persuasively links decorative elements of Italian art with Jewish symbols and motifs. The decoration contains countless biblical quotations in micrographic script with reference to wedding and marriage ideals. (flu)

Online Since: 12/14/2018

Like the 1753 ketubah from Padua (K76), this contract makes use of an older frame. The family emblems therefore have no relation to the bridal couple, Nathan Solomon, son of Jacob Samuel le-Veit Montel, and Bella Rosa, daughter of Moses le-Veit Barukh (De Benedetti). It is even possible that the original ketubah is not from Alessandria, but from further away, possibly Lugo or Ancona. The inner decorative frame contains a ribbon of cutout designs glued onto green fabric. The outer frame is painted; it is decorated with fanciful flowering twigs, medallions and vignettes. The side and bottom borders contain the Signs of the Zodiac. (flu)

Online Since: 12/14/2018

The lavish decoration of this printed and hand-painted ketubah attests to the high esteem in which this art form was held by the wealthy Sephardim living in the Venice ghetto. The text in this document is divided in two sections, the ketubah proper at the right and the conditions at the left, set within a double arch. The side columns feature additional wedding scenes inspired by Jewish texts. The association between the ideals of marriage from the past with Jewish life in contemporary Italy is further illustrated in the six vignettes that surround the central area containing the emblem of the bridegroom’s family, De Almeda. The frame enclosing the text is dominated by painted Signs of the Zodiac interspersed with plaques containing a wedding poem by the Italian poet and kabbalist, Rabbi Mordecai Dato (1525?-1593?). At the four corners are elaborate geometric designs inscribed with miniscule square writing, which, together with the inscriptions along the frame, present the entire book of the Song of Songs. This border was so admired that it was later imitated throughout the Veneto. (red)

Online Since: 12/20/2016

The marriage of Joshua, son of Isaac Hayyim Recanati, and Dona Esther Sarah, daughter of Raphael Recanati, established a union within this widely ramified, wealthy and influential Sephardic family. Written on a document that is painted with illusionistic effect, the actual text of the ketubbah is in the right column and the conditions are in the left column. These are surrounded by rococo architecture in central perspective, with the family emblem at the top flanked by two cupids. The name of the groom is honored with a medallion that depicts Joshua commanding the sun to stand still (Joshua 10:12–13). Two female figures hold the ends of a gold ribbon with the inscription “Be fruitful and multiply!” (flu)

Online Since: 10/10/2019

This ketubbah for the bridal couple Joseph Baruch, son of R. Schabettai Moses Salman and Rachel, daughter of R. Jom Tov Sanguinetti, is evidence of the Piedmontese communities' high achievements in the field of Jewish art. The designs are executed in green and gold. In the central part, a massive triumphal arch supported by twin columns frames the text of the contract. Two trumpet-blowing putti on mobile supports, the twelve signs of the zodiac, and the depictions of birds in the ornamental field at the top were cut from copper engravings, glued onto the ketubbah and then enhanced with a bit of color. The architrave of the triumphal arch holds a silhouette of the rebuilt Jerusalem, formed entirely from micrographic script. (flu)

Online Since: 10/10/2019

This ketubbah from Lugo (Emilia Romagna) was created for the marriage of Joseph, son of the late Samuel Treves, and Vittoria, daughter of Joseph Nahman Modena. In Lugo, artists developed a technique of making intricate cutout borders. Here, for instance, the arch supported by a pair of twisted columns and its floral decorations are entirely formed from such cutouts. The text of the contract has been glued onto an older frame. The colorful scenes and floral decorations are not drawn, but instead were cut from printed non-Jewish sources, glued on and then colored. Nonetheless, the chosen scenes refer to a wedding, such as the young couple in the upper part, or the religious scenes from the Old Testament (Samson and Delilah, Jacob’s ladder, and Joseph as interpreter of dreams). (flu)

Online Since: 10/10/2019

This contract celebrates the marriage of Moses, son of Judah, and Esther, daughter of Isaac, that took place in 1900 in Cochin, South India. According to the Indian caste system, the Jews of Cochin, very few of whom live there today, are divided into three groups: the Malabari (or black Jews) - whose namesake is the Indian coast of Malabar -, merchants who boast of their descent from King Solomon; the Paradesi (or white Jews) who arrived in Kerala during the colonial period; and the Meshuhrarim, originally slaves of Jewish merchants, who converted and were freed. The Jewish community of Cochin distinguished itself in numerous artistic fields, especially in the production of ketubbot. Based on its division into two sections, the present contract is typical of Indian production: the upper part of the document is taken up by lengthy blessings and biblical verses, written in square letters, while the lower part contains the actual wedding contract, written in a semi-cursive script. The decoration, consisting of elegant leafy branches in gold (and in yellow for some leaves), simultaneously frames and highlights the texts with its lustrous and shimmering effects. (rou)

Online Since: 06/18/2020

This contract is for the marriage of Solomon, son of Abraham, and Rachel, daughter of Elijahu. The total amount of the dowry was set at 26,000 “lion” piastre. This Ketubbah belongs to a type that was particular to Jerusalem between the 1830s and the 1860s. As in other representations, floral decorations in bright colors frame the lower field of text (with the signatures of the bride and groom in the center and the artfully ornamented monograms of two Jerusalem rabbis) as well as the broad band of the tympanum above. In the center of the tympanum is a bouquet of flowers in a vase, flanked to the left and right by cypress trees and date palms, linking the Jerusalem of the present to the promised Jerusalem. (flu)

Online Since: 10/10/2019

The bridal couple Solomon, son of Jacob Visino, and Dinah (Gracia), daughter of Samuel Cordovero, were part of the large community of Sephardic Jews living in the thriving, cosmopolitan and multi-ethnic port city of Livorno, where they enjoyed generous privileges bestowed on them by the Medicis, including complete religious freedom. The text is within an architectural frame in the shape of a baroque portal with two double columns. The marriage text is written at right in a Sephardic square script, the conditions at left in a cursive script; these were confirmed by the groom (in Italian) and by the father of the bride (in Spanish). Above the balustrade, two putti hold a cartouche with the emblem of the Visino family. Below that a medallion, framed by the zodiac, shows King Solomon as he joyfully receives the Queen of Sheba. (flu)

Online Since: 10/10/2019

The bridal couple, Menahem, son of the deceased R. Samuel Paliano, and Angelica, daughter of Moses Paliano, were members of one of the most respected and richest Jewish families in Rome, as attested by the dowry of 2,500 scudi in cash and an increment of 500 scudi. Delicate rose flowers and tendrils, as well as flying and perching birds are arranged around two concentric oval fields. The family emblem of the Paliani (or Pagliani) family appears above and below the larger oval. The inner oval contains the marriage contract in square script in gold. The outer oval is decorated with careful complete copies of the books Song of Songs, Ecclesiastes, and Ruth, with traditional verses and with biblical benedictions. This micrography is artfully shaped into interlaced scrolls and labyrinthine designs. The leopard, the eagle, the stag and the lion symbolize virtues which, according to Pirkei Avot 5:23, Jews should faithfully observe. (flu)

Online Since: 12/12/2019

This Indian ketubbah is characterized by motifs that were brought to India by Baghdadi Jews from Iraq. The formulaic texts in two adjacent fields, for instance, resemble Islamic prayer niches. Below that is written the content of the contract, which attests that Salih, son of Ezekiel Moses, wed Rebecca, daughter of Benjamin Elijah Jacob, who brought a dowry of 3,195 rupees in gold and silver jewelry, clothing and bed linen. Together with the groom’s supplement, the total sum reportedly reached 5,555 rupees. In the borders, flowers and birds alternate, and at the top two tigers hold a medallion with an inscription. Two fish facing each other symbolize happiness and fertility for the bridal couple. A small third fish between them probably refers to the hoped-for progeny. (flu)

Online Since: 12/12/2019

This promise of marriage between Wilhelm Goldstein and Paula See in Shanghai was confirmed in Chinese before two witnesses, Max Neumann and Gustav Lehmann, as well as Bernhard Cohn, the lawyer for the Jewish community “Communal Association of Central European Jews. Shanghai”. In contrast to the Braginsky collection’s other marriage contracts, this is not a Jewish religious document, but an official certificate recording the consent to marry of a couple fleeing persecution in the German-speaking countries. In Shanghai, about 18,000 Jews survived the holocaust. (flu)

Online Since: 12/12/2019

This mid-eighteen century Italian Esther scroll was most likely printed and hand-colored in Venice. It is kept in a cylindrical case of delicate filigree, ornamented with floral motifs, that is typical of the later and more refined work of Ioannite silversmiths. (red)

Online Since: 12/20/2016

The Esther story in this megillah (pl. megillot) isn't presented as an historic drama, but rather as a funny satire. The character of Alsatian Jewish life is captured in the ornamentation of the scroll: the whimsical imagery includes peasant figures in colorful local costume and reflections of folk humor. Lively figures, several shown strolling with walking sticks in hand and others gesturing, are interspersed with human busts, owls, and a gargoyle, while the Hebrew text is arranged within octagonal frames approximately 6 cm high. The few known Alsatian megillot share several distinctive characteristics, such as a bright palette of yellow, red, and green; stocky robust figures; and large vibrant flowers. In this Braginsky Collection Esther scroll, the women wear red or blue garments with yellow corselets laced in front, whereas the men are depicted wearing, amongst others, traditional white ruffs, red or blue jackets with culottes, and a variety of hats. (red)

Online Since: 10/13/2016

Jewish ceremonial objects crafted of gold, such as this Esther scroll case, are exceptionally rare since synagogue and personal Judaica objects were usually made of silver or other less precious material. The cylindrical case of this scroll is ornamented with applied filigree. Emerging from a vase at the center is a large naturalistic flowering wine with scrolling stems and blossoms that extend across the case’s decorated surface. Large blossoms support or frame the objects associated with the Holy Temple of Jerusalem. Although these motifs are frequently found on a variety of Italian Jewish ritual metalwork, they do not relate specifically to the Esther story. In addition, the Ten Tablets of the Law are placed on the largest central floral motif, a wreath composed of small flower forms that may suggest sunflowers. There are two similar Esther scroll cases of this type undoubtedly created by the same maker. They have been localized to seventeenth-century Rome or Venice. This undecorated scroll is probably from the 18th century. (red)

Online Since: 03/22/2017

This megillah is embellished with hand-painted, repeated architectural designs. The text is set between alternating straight and spiral marble columns. The Jews of Italy associated twisted columns with those of the Temple of Solomon, which they believed were brought to Rome by Titus and eventually placed in the Basilica of St. Peter in the Vatican. In terms of style, this scroll resembles the illuminated ketubot produced in Ferrara and Mantua. Accompanying this scroll is a separate sheet of parchment that, in addition to the benedictions, contains a liturgical hymn, korei megillah, recited by the Jews of Italy. Rabbis disagreed as to whether a scroll may include any extraneous text that is not part of the book of Esther. However, in some communities this led to the practice of creating an unattached sheet featuring the three benedictions traditionally recited prior to the reading of the megillah. (red)

Online Since: 03/22/2017

The border design of this Esther scroll is dominated by a baroque arcade featuring four distinctly patterned columns. The arches are surmounted by a balustrade that supports flowering urns, blank medallions, floral scrollwork, and a variety of birds including a crowned double-headed eagle and a peacock. Scenes from the Esther narrative are positioned beneath each of the nineteen columns of text. The engraved border of this scroll was designed by the Italian scholar, artist, and publisher Francesco Griselini (1717-1787), whose engraved border designs were popular in Italy in the eighteenth century. In these illustrations, Griselini has devoted particular attention to architectural settings and spatial perspective. The artist’s printed signature is found in the lower left corner of each membrane. The last scene, placed under the final arch, is rarely found on illustrated Ester scrolls. It depicts the Messiah riding on a donkey heralding the return of the exiled Jewish people back to Jerusalem. The text of this scroll was penned by the scribe-artist Aryeh Leib ben Daniel. In his inscription, which follows the concluding benedictions, he informs the reader that he wrote this scroll in Venice in the winter of 1746. (red)

Online Since: 03/22/2017

This profusely illustrated Dutch scroll is distinctive for its thirty-eight illustrations drawn in sepia ink. The decoration of the scroll begins with a triumphal arch reminiscent of Roman Triumphal arches constructed for royal festivities throughout Europe from the fifteenth to the nineteenth century. The scroll also contains some unusual representations. One is of Mordecai standing in a room with a wall filled with books. He is portrayed as a scholar, perhaps reflecting a rabbinic tradition that informs us of his remarkable knowledge of seventy languages, which helped him uncover the plot against Ahasuerus. Another striking illustration is the depiction of two merrymaking dwarves dancing and playing stringed instruments in celebration of the Jews’ delivery from destruction. (red)

Online Since: 03/22/2017

This eighteenth-century megillah was created in Lower Saxony and exemplifies a type of folk art decoration and color palette found in other megillot from this region. The most distinctive image in this scroll is the one depicting the hanging of Haman. Bound in chains, he is suspended from the gallows. A venomous snake, a symbol of evil, encircles the upright support of the gibbet. Below, a double-tailed lion, an allegoric embodiment of the Jewish people, is depicted holding a crowned shield and gazing up at the execution. This Braginsky Collection megillah is one of three similar German scrolls containing distinctive images of Haman hanging. Inscriptions on the opening and closing panels of this scroll indicate that this scroll was owned by Berel the son of Abraham Neumark of Hamburg. (red)

Online Since: 03/22/2017

The special feature of this Esther scroll (on 4 sheets with 16 columns of text) are the detailed illustrations of the Book of Esther with the inclusion of motifs from the Midrash literature. These testify to a good knowledge of the Bible and the rabbinical commentaries. The depiction of Jews in festive dress with barrette and white ruffled collar (“Judenkragen”) points to a Western European milieu. In fact, the roll was created in Amsterdam. The scribe of this early and prototypical megillah with a printed decorative frame, Jacob from Berlin, wrote his name in the opening panel and dated the manuscript to the 18th century. (flu)

Online Since: 10/08/2020

This scroll (on five sheets with 13 columns of text) opens with an impressive sun disk surrounded by the signs of the zodiac. The month of Adar is particularly emphasized, since it was in this month under the sign of Pisces that the extermination of the Jews took place. Each column begins, if possible, with the word ha-melech (the king), which designates the king Ahasuerus in the Book of Esther, but is also an allusion to the never explicitly mentioned and yet omnipresent God. The silver case from around 1800 is crowned by a bouquet of flowers and leaves, which can be found in a similar way on Torah finials (rimmonim) and other Judaica metalwork of the Ottoman Empire. (flu)

Online Since: 10/08/2020

This Esther scroll was created in Amsterdam around 1641 (on 7 sheets and 49 columns of text); it contains a printed decorative frame engraved by Shalom Italia (see his signature at the beginning of the scroll “Salom Italia sculp[sit]” (Shalom Italia engraved it). His frame designs influenced illustrated megillot throughout Europe. The printing plate, which is repeated several times over the entire length of the scroll, comprises four archways. On each pierced semicircular arch, above the architraves there are two women holding palm fronds. Landscape miniatures appear in the supraports and on the bases of the full-length figures representing Ahasuerus, Esther, Mordecai, and Haman. The scenes are based on contemporary landscape motifs, thus linking the Jewish text with the general visual culture of its time. (flu)

Online Since: 10/08/2020

The printed frame design for this Esther scroll (on four sheets with 15 columns of text) was created by the engraver Paul-Jean Franck, a non-Jewish artist in Prague; it is thus one of the rare examples of this type that does not originate from the two printing centers of Venice or Amsterdam. A total of seven episodes from the Book of Esther are presented in vertical order at the beginning and end of the scroll. At the beginning: Ahasuerus on the throne, while Mordecai and Haman are led past; Mordecai hands Hatach the decree of destruction; the king in the tent. At the end: the celebration of Purim; the accusation of Haman by Esther; Mordecai and the king; Mordecai as he records the establishment of the Purim festival in a letter to the Jews. Above the spiral columns’ capitals, further scenes are represented. (flu)

Online Since: 10/08/2020

Created at the beginning of the 20th century, this Esther scroll (on six sheets with 35 columns of text) could be seen as an attempt to create a national Jewish style by incorporating orientalist and Art Nouveau elements. The origin could therefore be Jerusalem, although other centers in the Ottoman Empire could also be considered. The case is artfully carved from ivory, the megillah was painted in vivid colors and contains floral motifs, as often found in oriental manuscripts. (flu)

Online Since: 10/08/2020

The decorative program of this Esther scroll (on 4 sheets with 16 columns of text) was taken from the printed frame design of the Braginsky Megillah S25. The benedictions at the beginning of the scroll are surrounded by figures and episodes of the Esther story: at the top Ahasuerus and Esther on the throne flanked by courtiers; below on the right the conspirators and on the left Haman on the gallows; at the bottom on the right Mordecai in the gate of the palace and on the left Esther and Mordecai writing letters with the orders for the Purim feast. The hexagonal case of chased silver was made in 1806 and belonged to Rabbi Ephraim Fischel of Rozdol in Eastern Galicia. (flu)

Online Since: 10/08/2020

This scroll contains one of the most finely executed series of illustrations to be found in decorated megillot (sing. megillah). The highly accomplished artist Wolf Leib Katz Poppers has modeled detailed figures, scenes, and animals with delicate parallel and cross-hatched pen strokes, creating an effect that is strikingly similar to the copperplate engravings of contemporary books. Positioned between a foliate border with animals at the top and a similar one with birds at the bottom, text columns are interspersed with eight elegant full-length characters from the Esther story. Below each of these figures is a small vignette that chronicles the Purim story. It is unusual that the skillfully drawn figures that embellish this scroll are dressed in Ottoman-court clothing. The choice of this type of dress is intriguing, and perhaps the most cogent reason for this combination is that the scroll was produced for a member of a small, affluent community of Turkish Jews who, after 1718, were permitted to live and trade freely in Vienna, while still remaining subjects of the Sultan of Turkey. (red)

Online Since: 10/13/2016

This Esther scroll, which combines Indian and Western traditions in a unique way, contains twenty elaborately illustrated panels flanking the text columns. The reader is shown surrounded by men wearing fezes and children holding drums used as noisemakers to drawn out the name of Haman. Additionally, a group of five women is portrayed in a separate space above labeled ezrat nashim (woman’s section). The figures in the scroll are depicted in a mixture of contemporary, Western and non-Western clothing, and often are seated in interiors that portray a similar blend of furnishings. Some of the women, including Esther at times, are shown with a Hindu bindi sign on their foreheads. This scroll comes from the collection of the eminent Sassoon family of Baghdadi Jewish descent. It was most likely created for their personal use. The merging of Jewish scribal traditions and Indian artistic design reflects the Sassoon family’s deep involvement in the cultural life of India. (red)

Online Since: 12/20/2016

This hand-written megillah Esther from Venice (type: “Gaster I”, on three sheets with text in 19 columns, all but the last one arranged in pairs), is decorated with a printed and hand-colored decorative border; it can be dated circa 1675 based on almost identical Esther rolls that are dated. This decorative technique was first used in Rome in the late 16th century and later, especially in the 18th century, was widely used in Venice and Amsterdam. Polylobed cartouches below and above the text depict scenes from the Book of Esther. (flu)

Online Since: 10/08/2020

In contrast to most Esther scrolls, the first two decorative fields of this megillah emphasize the central importance of Mordecai. First there is written, in burgundy letters: “The Scroll of Esther the Queen and Mordecai the Jew” and then in orange letters “In the fortress Shushan lived a Jew by the name of Mordecai, son of Jair son of Shimei son of Kish” (Esther 2:5). This genealogy is traced back to Abraham on the borders along the top and bottom of the entire scroll. This is followed by the lineage of the opponent Haman, which was taken from the Targum Riscon, the Aramaic translation of the original Hebrew text. (flu)

Online Since: 10/08/2020

Cut-out decors are typical for Esther scrolls from Ancona and Lugo. These can also be found on ketubbot (see K96 and K105) and other decorative sheets. The upper ribbon of cutout designs on this megillah (on three leaves with 12 columns of text) has peacocks, butterflies and deer interwoven with flower, tendril and latticework ornaments, while the lower one shows the signs of the zodiac. The turned wooden roller is 54.8 cm high. (flu)

Online Since: 10/08/2020