Obj. ID: 280
  Sacred and Ritual  Torah case ( Libya, 1880)

The ten faceted wooden Torah case consists of a body and a coronet.

A pair of faceted annulets encircles the upper and the lower borders of the body. A silver band is between the row of annulets. Ten knobs for the Torah case wrapper are set between the border one on each facet.

The case opens into two halves in the middle of the front facet, while the back one is separated from the rest by two pairs of hinges.

A dedicatory inscription, composed of Biblical phrases, is situated on two plaques which form a pointed ogee arch and are located at either side of the front facet. The inscription begins on the right plaque and goes from the right to the left and the square linear letters read:

"וזאת##התורה זכה##וברה )שמ' ב' 32( "וכתי' )וכתיבתה(##תמה"##גם ווי העומדים )שמ' כז' 01(##מעוטרה "מה ]טוב[##ומה יופיו" )זכ' ט' 71( העור##כי טוב ודיו" אשר##פעל ועשה כעירנו##חי העלוב המנוח##ה"ר )הרב( חי חגאג נ"ע )נוחו עדן( ##בכר יוסף נ"ע )נוחו עדן(##תנצב"ה )תהי נשמתו צרורה בצור החיים( והן בעדן## לא נגמר הספר##הזה עד שנלב"ע )שנפטר לבית עולמו(##

Translation: This is the Torah scroll, pure and clear, with fine penmanship even the hooks of the pillars are decorated (Ex. 27, 10). For how great is their goodliness and how great is their beauty, (Zech. 9, 17) the parchment and the dye are good. he created and executed, the man who lived in our city the humble, deceased, Rabbi Hay Hagag, may he rest in Eden, the first born of Yosef, may he rest in Eden. May his soul be bound up in the bond of life and they in inquity did not complete this scroll before they passed away.

The left plaque reads:

ה"ר )הרב(##חי הנזכר##ובהשתדלות##רב של##יורשיו נגמר בכי##טוב ויה"ר )ויהי רצון( שתניח##נפשו גם נפש אחיו##הר רחמים תנצבה )תהי נשמתו צרורה בצרור החיים(##בג"ע )בגן עדן( וזכות ספהת )ספר התורה(## הק' )הקדוש( הזה יגן על##זרעם אחריהם##וינחמם מיגונים##היום יום א' כח##כסליו התר"מ##ושש ליצירה"##

Translation: The aforementioned Rabbi Hay and through the attempt of the Rabbi of his descendants it was completed successfully, and may it be that his soul shall rest and also the soul of his brother, the Rabbi Rahamim may his soul be bound up in the bond of life and the garden of Eden and the merit of this holy Torah scroll will protect their seed after them and will comfort the distressed. Today, Sunday the twenty-eighth day of Kislev 5646 (1886) and six to the creation.

The inscription is framed by a zigzag line which forms a rectangle topped by a circle. An additional solid line surrounds the circle and reaches the plaque's border. A symmetrical scroll motif stems from between the two circles and covers the arch of the plaque.

The single clasp is located above the inscription and is held by two rosettes.

The inner face is plain wood. Two rectangular partitions are set at the top and at the bottom of each half. They are both hollow.

The ten-faceted coronet tops the body. Each facet is composed of an openwork design consisting of a palmette flanked by two arches. Within each arch is a volute and a lily. Two insert holes for the staves are at the top of the case.