Obj. ID: 7557
Sacred and Ritual Objects Elijah's rod, Afghanistan, 1884
The cylindrical Elijah's rod is topped by a globular knob. The rod is divided into three units by a ring inlaid with turquoise triangles. Two units are covered in silver and are inscribed with a circumferential inscription alternating with a foliate strip. The lower section is plain wood.
The dedicatory inscription is inscribed in square, outlined Hebrew-Persian characters, and is read from top to bottom:
"זה מטה שהקדיש יעקב חיים בן מ' (מולא) מרדכי לביהכ''נ (לבית הכנסת) של הראד ש' (שנת)ויתברכו לפ''ק (לפרט קטן)"
"This is the rod that was dedicated by Jacob Haim, son of Mullah Mordechai, to the synagogue of Herat, the year (5)644 (1884)". The sum of the letters of the marked word "ויתברכו" (and will be blessed) indicates the year.
A knob-shaped handle, mounted over a concave cuff, is decorated with diagonal bands.
This Elijah's rod is an additional link that connects the Afghanistan Jews to the Persian Jewish communities of Bukhara and Caucasus. Of the few rods documented among the Afghani Jews, this rod is another piece of evidence linking the communities. The origins of the use of the rod have not yet been established, and there are still some missing links for the prototype of the object, as well as for the practice.
sub-set tree:
Structure: cut
Decoration: repoussé, chased, punched, engraved, set turquoise gems
Bonding: soldered, screwed
Inscription: engraved
Diameter: 220 mm (overall), 60 mm (handle)
In the Persian Jewish communities of Central Asia, Afghanistan and Caucasus, the arrival of Elijah at the circumcision is also marked by a special staff, attributed to the old messenger, named "Elijah's rod". Jewish folktales of Afghanistan describe Elijah the prophet as an old man worn out from the many circumcisions he must attend. He therefore leans on his rod and sits on his chair in order to rest a little.
In Afghan communities, Elijah's staff was preserved, wrapped in a cloth sack, in the Torah ark. During the circumcision ceremony, it was set between the two chairs, tilted against the big Elijah's chair.
As the rod is believed to have healing powers, associated with the revival stories of the prophet Elijah (1 Kgs. 17: 21-24) and his disciple (2 Kgs. 4: 29), the rod is brought to the house of a birthing woman, in order to protect her and the newborn [Noy, Afghanistan: Folklore; Kurt, Matehu; Hanegbi, The Circumcision; Amar, Ingathering, p. 97].
Apart from the custom, the staffs of the three communities share common artistic features. The rod is usually covered with silver sheets and is surrounded by an inscribed band. However, the ornaments differ in style and shape and the decoration of the knob.
Hanegbi, Zohar and Bracha Yaniv, Afghanistan : the synagogue and the Jewish home (Jerusalem: Center for Jewish Art, 1991), pp. 34, 82, 156-158.
Amar, Ariella and Ruth Jacoby, eds. Ingathering of the Nations. Jerusalem: Center for Jewish Art, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 1998. In English and Hebrew.
Kurt, Zevulun. "Matehu shel Eliyahu Ha-Navi" (Elijah's Rod). Yeda Am. Vol. 7. No. 25. P. 64. 1962. In Hebrew.
Noy, Dov. s.v. "Afghanistan: Folklore". Encyclopedia Judaica, 2nd ed.