|
Did you know that “Next year in Jerusalem” It is impossible to understand the customs, not only the religious ones, in Jewish culture, without turning back to the earliest history of the Jewish nation and ancient Israel. Many of those customs symbolically refer to the rituals performed in the Temple of Jerusalem; however, they follow them to a far more modest extent. |
Did you know that “(...) and you will write them upon the gates and upon the front door of your house” According to the Jewish religious law, immediately after moving into a new house or flat (in the case of a rented one – no later than within 29 days) on the right side of the entrance door (at 2/3 of the doorway height) a mezuzah should be placed, with a slight tilt left towards the interior of the apartment, and nailed solidly in place... |
Did you know that As a sign of modesty According to a Jewish tradition, married women, but also divorcees and widows, should, as a sign of modesty (cnius), cover their hair in public places. This prescription is imposed in various forms. In orthodox environments, women still shave their heads and cover them with headscarves, called tichel, although according to Halakha (religious law) it is not necessary. |
Did you know that Purim One of the customs associated with the holiday Purim is sending each other gifts (mishloach manot), for which at least two portions of different delicacies are to be made. They may not require any additional treatment from the recipient; they must be suitable for immediate consumption. |
Did you know that How thee Torah scroll is made How thee Torah scroll is made? |
Did you know that Different forms of besamin boxes Besamin boxes — also known as censers or scent boxes—can take on various forms; the most common ones, however, are tower-shaped besamin boxes, like the ones belonging to the collection of the Historical Museum of the City of Kraków and the Irena and Mieczysław Mazaraki Museum in Chrzanów presented on our website... |
Did you know that “A great miracle happened there” – on Chanukah, the Jewish “Festival of Lights” A special celebration has been held for several years on one December evening in Szeroka Street, located in Kazimierz, the old Jewish quarter of Kraków. After the speeches of the invited guests (usually including the Mayor of Kraków, representatives of cultural institutions, and rabbis), a lamp is lit on a large eight-branch candelabrum called the Hanukkah Menorah. There is joyful atmosphere, the participants sing and dance, and then everyone is offered a donut... |
Did you know that Parochet and pelmet The custom of hanging a parochet on the Aron Kodesh door (the Torah Ark in the synagogue, in which the Torah scrolls are kept) goes back to Biblical times. In the Temple of Jerusalem there was a similar curtain separating the Holy place from the Holy of Holies... |
Did you know that Hanukkah Lamp The Hanukkah lamp is lit during the Hanukkah celebrated to commemorate the victory of Judah Maccabee over the Seleucids in 164 BC as well as the ritual purification of the profaned Temple of Jerusalem and its reconsecration during the eight-day celebration. The new furnishing for the Temple was made... |
Did you know that Inwokacja do bogini Kamuj-Fuci — opiekunki ogniska domowego Inwokacja zapisana przez N.A. Newskiego. „Twój oddech, ciepłem wiejąc, otuchy dodaje... |
Lemko “czuha” (a male coat) The czuha played a special role in the outfit of the Lemkos: it symbolised wealth and prestige. The czuha was obligatorily worn to Orthodox church, on more important festivals — even in the summer, as well as for weddings (even if one had to borrow it). It was a kind of a voluminous coat made of brown domestic cloth, which for other Lemkos was indicative of its owner’s origin. |
Parochet — curtain that covers the Torah Ark Beautiful curtain that covers the Torah Ark altar in the synagogue, produced in New York shortly before the outbreak of World War II and brought to Poland by Mr. Zvi, son Johoszua Lehr. |
Did you know that Unearthed treasure Marcin Marciniak and Jan Sapiński did not suppose that the morning of 3 May 1909 would bring anything special and change their lives in any way whatsoever. While our working in a field, after the plough hit something, one of them found a hard object. The vessel, enveloped in clay, turned out to be one of the most valuable preserved monuments of the artistic craft of pre-Romanesque art, associated with the beginning of Christianity on Polish soil... |
Did you know that Pious Gentiles, or the genesis of the concept of “Righteous Among the Nations” We know who the “Righteous Among the Nations” are. We know for what kind of behaviour warrants being awarded this title, medal, diploma, the possibility of planting a tree in the Avenue of the Righteous (today there is no room for new trees, so a commemorative plaque is placed in the wall), and since 1995 – the honorary citizenship of the State of Israel. According to data published on the website of the Yad Vashem Institute in January 2013, there were already 24,811 people of non-Jewish origin who were recognized in this way. New ones keep on coming. Many will pass away before anyone discovers or recalls their often daring, “righteous” demeanour in unjust times. But, do we know where this term comes from? Does it reflect the nature of the behaviour at that time well? It is hard to doubt that it was righteous, but don’t you wonder about the origin of this expression? Why does it say “righteous” and not “good,” for example? |
Did you know that The humiliated beauty of kabuki For Japan, the Edo epoch (1600–1868), under shogunate rule, was a time of isolation from all external influences, but also a time of prosperity and peace, solidified by the established social order (in a highly hierarchical society, everyone played a specific role – samurais constituted the most privileged class of the bakufu). |
Did you know that What are besamin boxes used for? What are the origins for the custom of inhaling herb scents at the end of the Sabbath and what does it symbolise? This is the trace of the times when the Jews made sacrifices in the Temple of Jerusalem. After its final destruction by the Romans (AD 70), the Jews abandoned the sacrificial cult. In the times of the diaspora, they replaced... |
Did you know that Remember about the temple, “Mazel Tov!” The motif of decorating Jewish wedding rings with a model of a building appeared as early as the Middle Ages. The top represented either a house to be shared by a young married couple, or – as in the case of the ring presented on our website – a symbolic depiction of the Holy Temple of Jerusalem. The destruction of the Holy Temple is a recurring motif throughout the entire wedding ceremony. |
Did you know that “Harei at mekudeshet li b'taba'at zo k'dat Moshe” In keeping with tradition, the groom puts on the ring on the finger of his bride as a symbolic confirmation of the marriage contract (ketubah). The ring must be modest, without precious stones. The bride should not have the impression that the object she receives is of high value... |
Did you know that The East and the West under the protection of the Mother of God The evolution of iconography, from the instilling of an idea, its crystallisation in worship, to its materialisation in art is a long and complicated process. The example of the Protection of the Mother of God shows how creativity could develop a theme based on one idea; the idea in which the East and the West found a common source, and through the interpretation of which their paths diverged with time. |
Did you know that Religious Beliefs of the Ainu In everything that surrounded Ainu, in all living things, as well in all objects created by them, the god-spirits lived. The Ainu called them kamuy. These spirits were responsible for all events and phenomena that occurred; this is why it was necessary to honour them and while commencing any work, it was necessary to perform prayers that involved offering them sacrifices. Good spirits were invited to their ceremonies and homes, and, after worshipping them, it was mandatory to send them back to their abodes. According to the Ainu, every object is not only the home of the kamuy spirits but also has a soul — ramat — and whoever or whatever does not possess ramat does not possess anything. |