Obj. ID: 56022
Sacred and Ritual Objects Mizrah, Jerusalem, circa 1920
sub-set tree:
The following description was prepared by William Gross:
Mizrah (Hebrew: מזרח "east") is the Hebrew word for "east" and the direction that Jews in the Diaspora face during prayer. Jewish law prescribes that Jews at prayer face the site of the Temple in Jerusalem. In addition, "Mizrach" refers to an ornamental wall plaque used to indicate the direction of prayer in Jewish homes. In a synagogue, that direction would be obvious as it is the side of the building on which the ark was placed. But in a home or Sukkah the direction had to be indicated. It is customary in traditional Jewish homes and the Sukkah to mark the wall in the direction of Mizrach to facilitate proper prayer. For this purpose, people use artistic wall plaques inscribed with the word Mizrach and scriptural passages like "From the rising (mi-mizrah) of the sun unto the going down thereof, the Lord's name is to be praised" (Ps. 113:3), Kabbalistic inscriptions, or pictures of holy places. Such plaques were most often manuscript forms or printed sheets, ranging from the simplest idea of the word only to elaborately decorated pages with a wide range of images and texts. These plaques are generally placed in rooms in which people pray, such as the living room or bedrooms. The four letters of the Hebrew word MiZRaCH are sometimes indicated as the initial letters of the Hebrew phrase Metzad Zeh Ruach Chaim (From this side the source of life).
This is one of the largest printed Mizrachs in the Gross Family Collection and most certainly the largest issued from the presses in Jerusalem. It contains a large variety of prayers and was probably meant for use in the Sukkah. There are also 10 images of different holy places in Eretz Israel. But the type of prayers printed may indicate that it was placed on the wall near to the Ark or reader’s desk in the synagogue as well. There exist two copies of this Mizrach in the Gross Family Collection, one printed in blue