Jewish ceremonial art, also referred to asJewish ritual art,Jewish sacred art, andJewish liturgical art, refers to objects used byJews for ritual purposes. Because enhancing amitzvah by performing it with an especially beautiful object is considered amitzvah – a praiseworthy way of honoring God's commandments – this concept is known ashiddur mitzvah.[1][2] Judaism has a long tradition of commissioning ritual objects from craftsmen and artists, just as Jewish culture has a long tradition of producing ritual objects, both for Jewish ceremonial use and sale to all.[3][4]
Jewish ceremonial art forms a large part ofJudaica (/dʒuːˈdeɪ.ɪkə/), a general academic and art trade term for Jewish-related objects, of which other types aremanuscripts, books and other printed materials, artworks in various media, and clothing.
Multiple early rabbinic commentaries on theHebrew Bible refer to sanctifying rituals with visually pleasing objects in theMidrash. MidrashMekhilta of Rabbi Ishmael has this teaching on a biblical verse:
"This is my God and I will glorify Him" (Exodus 15:2)
Is it possible for a human being to add glory to his Creator? What this really means is: I shall glorify God in the way that I perform commandments. I shall prepare a beautifullulav, beautifulsukkah, beautiful fringes (tzitzit), and beautifultefillin.[citation needed]
Other Midrash teachings (e.g.Shir HaShirim Rabbah 1.15) offer the same idea. This idea is expanded upon in theBabylonian Talmud (e.g.Bāḇā Qammā 9b). This teaching was understood by succeeding generations as a duty, when possible, to make beautiful items used in Jewish life and worship, both physical and textual.
The following items are used during Shabbat:
The end of the JewishShabbat is marked by the brief prayer ceremony ofHavdalah, which usually takes place in the home. Part of the ceremony requires sniffing a sweet-smelling spice or plant. In Jewish communities around the Mediterranean, a sprig of a sweet-smelling shrub was customarily used; in Northern Europe, by the twelfth century there are literary references of the use of a specially designed spice box or container. The oldest surviving spice boxes for Havdalah date to the mid-sixteenth century. TheJewish Museum (New York) has a German examplec. 1550 thought to originate inFrankfurt am Main.[5]
Themenorah (or hanukkiah) used on the Jewish holiday ofHanukkah is perhaps the most widely produced article of Jewish ceremonial art.[6][7][8] TheLindo lamp is a particularly fine example by an 18th-century silversmith. Contemporary artists often design menorahs, such as the gold-plated brass menorah with 35 moveable branches designed byYaacov Agam.[9] A silver menorah byZe'ev Raban from the 1930s is in the Judaica Collection of theNorth Carolina Museum of Art.[10]
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The tradition of artistically embellishedhaggadahs, the Jewish text that sets forth the order of thePassover Seder, dates back to the Middle Ages. TheSarajevo Haggadah of 1350 is a celebrated example. Major contemporary artists have produced notable haggadahs, such as theSzyk Hagaddah. See also the facsimile edition of the even earlier Barcelona Haggadah[13] of 1340.
ThePassover Seder plate is a special plate containing the six symbolic foods displayed at thePassover Seder: theMaror andChazeret (bitter herbs), theZeroa (a roasted shank bone, typically lamb), theBeitza (a hard-boiled egg), theKarpas (a green vegetable, typicallyparsley), and theCharoset (a paste of fruit, nuts, spices, and wine). Seder plates may come in a set with a matching dish for the three wholematzot used during the seder. These dishes can be intricately decorated and often come with dedicated spaces for each specific food.
Museums with notable collections of Jewish ceremonial art include theBritish Library,[14] theIsrael Museum, theJewish Museum (London), theMusée d'Art et d'Histoire du Judaïsme inParis, theJewish Museum in Prague, theNorth Carolina Museum of Art,[10] theJewish Museum (New York), theMusée Lorrain inNancy,[15] theMusée alsacien inStrasbourg and theContemporary Jewish Museum ofSan Francisco.[16] TheMuseum of Jewish Heritage in New York City also holds a sizable collection. Significant private collections include the Gross Family Collection.[17][18]
Another way to see Judaica is through the art marketplace, including auction houses.Sotheby's, Bonhams-New York, Skinner's and Kestenbaums routinely hold regular auctions each year.
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