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Obj. ID: 49027  Shiviti, Jerusalem, circa 1900

© Gross Family Collection, Photographer: Unknown, -

1 image(s)

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Name/Title
| Unknown
Object Detail
Date
circa 1900
Synagogue active dates
Reconstruction dates
Artist/ Maker
Unknown (Unknown)
Historical Origin
Unknown
Community
Unknown |
Location
Unknown |
Site
Unknown
School/Style
Unknown|
Period
Period Detail
Gross Family Collection No.
058.011.169
Material/Technique
Paper, Ink, Written
Material Stucture
Material Decoration
Material Bonding
Material Inscription
Material Additions
Material Cloth
Material Lining
Tesserae Arrangement
Density
Colors
Construction material
Measurements
Height: 19.2 cm, Width: 14.4 cm
Height
Length
Width
Depth
Circumference
Thickness
Diameter
Weight
Axis
Panel Measurements
Hallmark
Condition
Extant
Documented by CJA
Surveyed by CJA
Present Usage
Present Usage Details
Condition of Building Fabric
Architectural Significance type
Historical significance: Event/Period
Historical significance: Collective Memory/Folklore
Historical significance: Person
Architectural Significance: Style
Architectural Significance: Artistic Decoration
Urban significance
Significance Rating
Description

The following description was prepared by William Gross:

The Shiviti is usually a page, in manuscript or printed form,  which is often inscribed with the Biblical verse of Psalm 67 in the shape of a Menorah and/or the Shiviti verse. The Hebrew words of this verse, “Shiviti Adonai Negdi Tamid”, are variously translated as “I set the Lord always before me” or "I keep the Lord even in my sight” or “I am ever mindful of the Lord’s presence”. A tradition grew which carried the idea that when the 67th Psalm was recited in the morning prayers and it was read inscribed in the Menorah form, the reader, through his meditative concentration on the inscribed Menorah, would be transported back to standing before the Golden Candelabra in the Temple. This concentration could increase the intensity of the prayer.

This near folk tradition, magical and mystical in its conception, began to appear in manuscripts almost 500 years ago. Later it started to be made in small sheets that fit into the daily prayer book to be used at the time of the reading of the 67th Psalm. Then larger examples were hung on the walls of synagogues, homes and the Sukkah, and the smaller versions were printed in the prayer book itself. In some cases, the Shiviti was even painted on the walls of the synagogue. There are numerous examples of both the prayer book tradition and the wall plaque tradition in the Gross Family Collection

This Shiviti has a number of features that differentiate it from the norm. The tetragrammaton at the top is rendered in stylized, filled hollow letters. There is minuscule writing between the branches of the Menorah and the three letter combinations for the 42-letter name are in a framed border.

Made For:                    Yeshua Asbag

Custom
Contents
Codicology
Scribes
Script
Number of Lines
Ruling
Pricking
Quires
Catchwords
Hebrew Numeration
Blank Leaves
Direction/Location
Façade (main)
Endivances
Location of Torah Ark
Location of Apse
Location of Niche
Location of Reader's Desk
Location of Platform
Temp: Architecture Axis
Arrangement of Seats
Location of Women's Section
Direction Prayer
Direction Toward Jerusalem
Signature
Colophon
Scribal Notes
Watermark
Binding
Decoration Program
Summary and Remarks
History/Provenance
Main Surveys & Excavations
Bibliography
Short Name
Full Name
Volume
Page
Type
Documenter
|
Researcher
William Gross |
Architectural Drawings
|
Computer Reconsdivuction
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Section Head
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Language Editor
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Donor
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