Between Yerushalayim DeLita and Jerusalem—The Memorial Inscription from the <i>Bimah</i> of the Great Synagogue of Vilna
During excavations of the <i>bimah</i> (the platform for reading the Torah) of the 17th-century Great Synagogue of Vilna (Vilnius, Lithuania), an important memorial inscription was exposed. This paper describes the new finds associated with the baroque-rococo architecture of the <i>...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-04-01
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| Series: | Arts |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/9/2/46 |
| _version_ | 1797571781178949632 |
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| author | Jon Seligman |
| author_facet | Jon Seligman |
| author_sort | Jon Seligman |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | During excavations of the <i>bimah</i> (the platform for reading the Torah) of the 17th-century Great Synagogue of Vilna (Vilnius, Lithuania), an important memorial inscription was exposed. This paper describes the new finds associated with the baroque-rococo architecture of the <i>bimah</i> and focuses on the inscription and its meaning. The Hebrew inscription, engraved on a large stone slab, is a complex rabbinic text filled with biblical allusions, symbolism, gematria, and abbreviations. The text describes the donation of a Torah reading table in 1796 in honour of R. Ḥayim ben Ḥayim and of Sarah by their sons, R. Eliezer and Shmuel. The inscription notes the <i>aliyah</i> (emigration) of Ḥayim and Sarah to <i>Eretz Israel</i>, the Land of Israel. The interpretation of the inscription shows the use of multiple messianic motifs. Historical analysis identifies the involvement of the Vilna community with the support of the <i>Yishuv</i> (the Jewish community in Ottoman Palestine) and the <i>aliyah</i> of senior scholars and community leaders at the end of the 18th and early 19th centuries. Amongst these figures were Ḥayim ben Ḥayim and Sarah, with Ḥayim ben Ḥayim going on to represent the Vilna community in the Land of Israel as its emissary, distributing charitable donations to the scholarly Ashkenazi community resident in Tiberias, Safed, and later Jerusalem. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:46:25Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f3c69ab28e014b209c779158157e745c |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2076-0752 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T20:46:25Z |
| publishDate | 2020-04-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Arts |
| spelling | doaj.art-f3c69ab28e014b209c779158157e745c2023-11-19T20:20:48ZengMDPI AGArts2076-07522020-04-01924610.3390/arts9020046Between Yerushalayim DeLita and Jerusalem—The Memorial Inscription from the <i>Bimah</i> of the Great Synagogue of VilnaJon Seligman0Israel Antiquities Authority, Jerusalem 91004, IsraelDuring excavations of the <i>bimah</i> (the platform for reading the Torah) of the 17th-century Great Synagogue of Vilna (Vilnius, Lithuania), an important memorial inscription was exposed. This paper describes the new finds associated with the baroque-rococo architecture of the <i>bimah</i> and focuses on the inscription and its meaning. The Hebrew inscription, engraved on a large stone slab, is a complex rabbinic text filled with biblical allusions, symbolism, gematria, and abbreviations. The text describes the donation of a Torah reading table in 1796 in honour of R. Ḥayim ben Ḥayim and of Sarah by their sons, R. Eliezer and Shmuel. The inscription notes the <i>aliyah</i> (emigration) of Ḥayim and Sarah to <i>Eretz Israel</i>, the Land of Israel. The interpretation of the inscription shows the use of multiple messianic motifs. Historical analysis identifies the involvement of the Vilna community with the support of the <i>Yishuv</i> (the Jewish community in Ottoman Palestine) and the <i>aliyah</i> of senior scholars and community leaders at the end of the 18th and early 19th centuries. Amongst these figures were Ḥayim ben Ḥayim and Sarah, with Ḥayim ben Ḥayim going on to represent the Vilna community in the Land of Israel as its emissary, distributing charitable donations to the scholarly Ashkenazi community resident in Tiberias, Safed, and later Jerusalem.https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/9/2/46Vilna/Vilniussynagogue<i>bimah</i>inscriptionJerusalem<i>aliyah</i> |
| spellingShingle | Jon Seligman Between Yerushalayim DeLita and Jerusalem—The Memorial Inscription from the <i>Bimah</i> of the Great Synagogue of Vilna Arts Vilna/Vilnius synagogue <i>bimah</i> inscription Jerusalem <i>aliyah</i> |
| title | Between Yerushalayim DeLita and Jerusalem—The Memorial Inscription from the <i>Bimah</i> of the Great Synagogue of Vilna |
| title_full | Between Yerushalayim DeLita and Jerusalem—The Memorial Inscription from the <i>Bimah</i> of the Great Synagogue of Vilna |
| title_fullStr | Between Yerushalayim DeLita and Jerusalem—The Memorial Inscription from the <i>Bimah</i> of the Great Synagogue of Vilna |
| title_full_unstemmed | Between Yerushalayim DeLita and Jerusalem—The Memorial Inscription from the <i>Bimah</i> of the Great Synagogue of Vilna |
| title_short | Between Yerushalayim DeLita and Jerusalem—The Memorial Inscription from the <i>Bimah</i> of the Great Synagogue of Vilna |
| title_sort | between yerushalayim delita and jerusalem the memorial inscription from the i bimah i of the great synagogue of vilna |
| topic | Vilna/Vilnius synagogue <i>bimah</i> inscription Jerusalem <i>aliyah</i> |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0752/9/2/46 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jonseligman betweenyerushalayimdelitaandjerusalemthememorialinscriptionfromtheibimahiofthegreatsynagogueofvilna |