Ritual Objects
When walking into a home, one can often tell right away that a Jewish family lives there. The reason for this is that we see an array of religious and ritual objects connected with Shabbat, holidays, life cycle events and Jewish rituals.
These objects are reminders of Jewish laws and traditions which can go back centuries in time. These objects are precious to their owners, whether they be individuals or synagogues, and, in
many cases, are passed down from generation to generation.
Our display of ritual objects connect us to synagogue, prayer, and the Jewish home. Many of these artifacts are priceless in terms of sentimental and spiritual value to their owners.
Yad
MN
Sister, Hannah
My grandma did not have a chance to have a Bat Mitzvah when she was a kid so she had one when my sister was a baby. Afterwards, she kept reading Torah and got this Yad for reading Torah 7 times in one year at our synagogue.
Then my grandma gave my sister the Yad for her Bat Mitzvah!
The Torah is very special to the Jewish people. It has our history, our laws and our values.
We read from the Torah every week. We don\'t touch the Torah with our bare hands because it could get ruined. The oil from our fingers could ruin the parchment and the ink.
The Yad is used to point at the Torah while reading from it.
Yad
Israel
Grandma
My grandma passed this yad along to our family. My cousins used it at their B\'nai Mitzvah and my brother used it last year at his Bar Mitzvah.My grandma was given the Yad by (great-grandpa Sam) they bought it on their trip to Israel.
The Torah is very holy to the Jewish people. We read from it and we learn from it. When reading from it at the synagogue, we don\'t point with our fingers, because it could ruin the parchment and the lettering. The yad is used to point to the text while reading. This keeps the Torah in good condition.
Tallit Blessing
unknown
Josh (brother)
The tallit blessing was originally attached to my great-great grandfather\'s tallis. My great grandmother kept the tallis to give to her great grandson (my brother) for his bar mitzvah. The tallis was so old, however, that it was falling apart. My mother removed the blessing and sewed it to a new tallis that my great grandmother had bought. My great grandmother gave the blessing on the new tallis to my brother at his bar mitzvah.
The tallis blessing is a piece of our family history. It was something used for prayer by my great great grandfather and now it can be used again in prayer by my brother. Maybe he will pass it on to his own child. Plus it\'s really , really old.
Jews wear a tallis when praying.
The fringes on the tallis (tzizzit) are very important. They remind us of the mitzvot, the commandments.
As Jews we have 613 commandments our guide our lives. Wearing a tallis reminds us of the importance of the mitzvot.
Siddur
America
My great grandfather
This Siddur is very special to my family because it helps us to remember my great grandfather and it brings back memories we had with him.
It was given to my great grandfather on the day of his Bar Mitzvah and he used it from then on.
A siddur is a Jewish prayerbook. We use the Siddur every day, on Shabbat and on holidays.
Our prayers tell a lot about what it means to be Jewish and what we believe in.
Tanach
Israel
Julie
This Tanach was purchased as a gift for my great grandfather by my great-great-uncle about fifty years ago.
The Tanach is a very important Jewish collection. It contains the Torah, Prophets and the Writings.
In the Tanach we find much of our history as a people, laws and values. It guides us in our lives.