Mappa
A Mappa (Pl. Mappot ) or Torahimpel is a piece of fabric that is wrapped around the Torah scroll.
history
In some regions of Ashkenazi Judaism , the Mappa is made from a circumcision cloth on which the most important stages of Jewish life are listed in an inscription. This goes back to Rabbi Jakob ben Moses HaLevi Molin . As a godfather for circumcision, he used the wrapping tape of a Torah roll as a circumcision diaper, as the parents could not afford a diaper due to poverty. After cleaning the cloth, it was used again as a Mappa.
Since then, the Torah pennants have been embroidered with the blessings , which contain the most important stages in the life of an adolescent Jew, and the pennant is then ceremonially and ceremonially handed over to the synagogue by the boy at the age of about three .
Functions
As one of the oldest pieces of Torah jewelry, the Mappa is intended for several purposes.
In the Talmud it is stated that the sacred scrolls should be wrapped in precious silk. The Torah pennant serves as a wrapping tape for the Torah. The tape is handed over by the growing Jewish boy at the age of three on his first visit to the synagogue. The handing over of the Mappa stands for “binding oneself” into the community and “binding oneself” to the Torah.
The Mappa will later play a role in the ceremonies of other festivals in the life of the young Jew. The Torah of his Bar Mitzvah is wrapped with the pennant, and the pennant is needed at his wedding by wrapping the Torah, which is read out on the Sabbath before the wedding, or decorating the chuppah , the wedding canopy.
