Img. ID: 197152

1. The inscription is a paraphrase of various verses compiled with midrashic interpretations. The verses "the present be brought" cited from Isaiah prophesy (18:7) is interpreted in most traditional literary sources as "the offering which all the nations would present to the Messiah in the Days to Come (Gen. Rabbah, 97:10). It may be assumed that the donors express their hope for the redemption of the souls of their beloved Miriam and Esther when the Messiah would come, as well as for their own redemption, since they donated a beautiful Torah, which is compared to precious stones.

The comparison to the significance of valuable stones, usually part of the High Priest's garments, is a recurring clause found in Tunisian dedicatory inscriptions, as for example, Sc.68-1, pp. xx.

The Torah case was dedicated for the commemoration of Miriam and Esther, two sisters who died before their wedding. The deceased were the sisters of Victor Perez, who donated the case with his wife. After two other tragic events in the Perez family, they donated a Torah case wrapper, tribute to their son Solomon, and Victor's sister, Deizi. For the wrapper, see Sc.82-20, pp. XX.