Rimonim

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Berlin Rimonim, 2nd quarter of the 19th century

The Rimonim ( Hebrew רִמּוֹנִיִם, transliterated rimmonim or rimonim , " pomegranates ") are outer crowning attachments of the two wooden rolling rods of a Torah scroll . "In addition to the Torah shield , the Torah scroll receives additional jewelry through a crown or rimmonim ..." Furthermore, Mappa (Torah pennant), Torah cloak and Torah pointer belong to the jewelry of the Torah.

First mention and establishment

The so-called Yahwists also had an exact point in time when the Torah was recorded in writing, with the assumption “around 950 BC. Chr. "Or that of the Elohists with the assumption" 800 BC. Chr. “Hypothetical. The same applies to the sacred decorations in the liturgical environment of the Torah that have arisen over the centuries, such as the rimonim described in more detail here. The emergence of the rimonim as a coronation predates the use of a Torah crown . They have already been mentioned in the works of the Jewish philosopher Maimonides (Moshe ben Maimon 1135–1204).

The text, hand-made by a Sofer on parchment sheets of a rolled up or wrapped Torah, contains the proclaimed word of God . Therefore, the role is magnificently decorated and furnished by their respective synagogue community as a sign of great veneration. The ends of the scroll are connected to the wooden sticks in them, with the help of which the rabbi or prayer leader can turn to the desired passage. As a rule, there are several Torah scrolls in a synagogue , so that depending on the type of service, you can switch to other roles. In contrast to the lower rotary handles of the rods, ornaments called rimonim are usually attached to the upper ends. These crowns can be simple wood carvings, but depending on the financial situation of a community, they are often valuable work by gold and silversmiths .

Construction and decor shapes

The spouts of the rimonim used on festive occasions are usually slightly tapered so that they can be held in place with light pressure on the torah sticks without any further mechanical locking. The crowns have a tower-like structure, which usually consists of several "storeys", with a rocailles crown , ball, star of David or an upright lion , the symbol of the tribe of Judah , often used as the tip . The construction zones are usually extremely diverse, but there is an abundance of dainty bells in all variants. The spectrum of the respective works comprises a series of geometric shapes, among which rollers, spheres, columns or dome-shaped creations dominate. They are all mostly made of fine material, artfully processed and equipped with various, often floral, decorative shapes. The terms: "Silver, partially gold-plated, chased, cast, hallmarked, engraved and chased" are often found in expert reports.

meaning

In many parishes, delicate bells are attached to ornate rimonim that hang down from stylized pomegranates. The fruit of the pomegranate, which is present in numerous myths of the peoples, is often mentioned in the Old Testament of the Bible . In the Torah ( Exodus 28, 33–34 and 39, 24–26) it can be read that the high priests in the temple hung the edge of their robes ( efod ) with small pomegranates and bells. Pomegranates are an ancient oriental symbol of life-giving power and the bells have been thought to have disastrous properties.

literature

  • Liesel Franzheim: Scientific catalog of the Cologne City Museum on Jewish cultural history . Hugo Borger u. Heiko Steuer. Cologne (ed.). City Museum, 1980
  • Christof Pies (among others): Jewish life in the Rhein-Hunsrück district . Hunsrück History Association V. (Ed.) Volume 40, Argenthal 2004. ISBN 3-9807919-7-1 .

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Liesel Franzheim: Judaica: Kölnisches Stadtmuseum , Cologne: Kölnisches Stadtmuseum, 1980, (= scientific catalogs of the Kölnisches Stadtmuseum; vol. Judaica), p. 173.
  2. ^ Liesel Franzheim: Judaica: Kölnisches Stadtmuseum , Cologne: Kölnisches Stadtmuseum, 1980, (= scientific catalogs of the Kölnisches Stadtmuseum; vol. Judaica), p. 73 ff.
  3. ^ Jewish culture and history [1] accessed February 5, 2012
  4. Information Cologne City Museum
  5. Christof Pies (among others): Jewish life in the Rhein-Hunsrück district . P. 93
  6. ^ Jewish culture and history [2] accessed February 5, 2012

Web links

Commons : Rimonim  - collection of images, videos and audio files