![Top portion of a Torah ark, decorated with many ornamental elements, including a crown and an engraved Tablets of the Law framed by two golden lions](https://d1nn9x4fgzyvn4.cloudfront.net/styles/576x432/s3/2024-03/EventConservationSpotlightTorahArk.jpg?itok=ht6RSjT2)
Intentional Beauty
![A composite image of the golden front and silver back of an ornate and intricately-detailed Torah shield inlaid with stones.](https://d1nn9x4fgzyvn4.cloudfront.net/styles/scaled_562_wide/s3/2023-11/torah-shield-1920x1080.jpg?itok=xtzhs30s)
Elimelekh Tzoref, Torah shield, 1781–82. Silver and parcel gilt with enamel, niello, and stones. Museum purchase with funds donated by the Phillip Leonian and Edith Rosenbaum Leonian Charitable Trust, Jacques Aaron Preis, Trustee.
![An ornate gold and wood top of a Torah ark adorned with a lights, a bird, lions, floral shapes, and two passages from the Torah.](https://d1nn9x4fgzyvn4.cloudfront.net/styles/scaled_562_wide/s3/2023-12/SC469196_16x9_V1.jpg?itok=_FR8gpyr)
![An ornate wood and gold Torah ark.](https://d1nn9x4fgzyvn4.cloudfront.net/styles/max_840x840/s3/2023-12/SC469194_Overlay.jpg?itok=U9wUm0Hr)
Samuel Katz, Torah ark (detail), 1920–30. Wood and metal with gold leaf. Gift of Rabbi David Whiman.
![A family gathers around a large table to partake in seder during Passover.](https://d1nn9x4fgzyvn4.cloudfront.net/styles/scaled_562_wide/s3/2023-10/SC439986_16x9.jpg?itok=C_8QJmoT)
![A family gathers around a large table to partake in seder during Passover.](https://d1nn9x4fgzyvn4.cloudfront.net/styles/max_840x840/s3/2023-10/SC439986_Overlay.jpg?itok=OwzELRr2)
Malcah Zeldis, Passover Seder (detail), 1984. Oil on masonite. Jetskalina H. Phillips Fund and funds donated by Eric Zafran. © Malcah Zeldis.
![A wood and silver top of a Torah case with inscribed passages from the Torah.](https://d1nn9x4fgzyvn4.cloudfront.net/styles/scaled_562_wide/s3/2023-12/1SC468342_16x9.jpg?itok=9dywMKI_)
![An ornate, cylindrical wood and silver Torah case.](https://d1nn9x4fgzyvn4.cloudfront.net/styles/max_840x840/s3/2023-12/SC468855_overlay.jpg?itok=ZZ5CCGKJ)
Unidentified artist, Torah case, Iraq, 1879. Wood and silver, partially gilt. Jetskalina H. Phillips Fund.
![A composite image of the golden front and silver back of an ornate and intricately-detailed Torah shield inlaid with stones.](https://d1nn9x4fgzyvn4.cloudfront.net/styles/scaled_562_wide/s3/2023-11/torah-shield-1920x1080.jpg?itok=xtzhs30s)
Elimelekh Tzoref, Torah shield, 1781–82. Silver and parcel gilt with enamel, niello, and stones. Museum purchase with funds donated by the Phillip Leonian and Edith Rosenbaum Leonian Charitable Trust, Jacques Aaron Preis, Trustee.
![An ornate gold and wood top of a Torah ark adorned with a lights, a bird, lions, floral shapes, and two passages from the Torah.](https://d1nn9x4fgzyvn4.cloudfront.net/styles/scaled_562_wide/s3/2023-12/SC469196_16x9_V1.jpg?itok=_FR8gpyr)
![An ornate wood and gold Torah ark.](https://d1nn9x4fgzyvn4.cloudfront.net/styles/max_840x840/s3/2023-12/SC469194_Overlay.jpg?itok=U9wUm0Hr)
Samuel Katz, Torah ark (detail), 1920–30. Wood and metal with gold leaf. Gift of Rabbi David Whiman.
![A family gathers around a large table to partake in seder during Passover.](https://d1nn9x4fgzyvn4.cloudfront.net/styles/scaled_562_wide/s3/2023-10/SC439986_16x9.jpg?itok=C_8QJmoT)
![A family gathers around a large table to partake in seder during Passover.](https://d1nn9x4fgzyvn4.cloudfront.net/styles/max_840x840/s3/2023-10/SC439986_Overlay.jpg?itok=OwzELRr2)
Malcah Zeldis, Passover Seder (detail), 1984. Oil on masonite. Jetskalina H. Phillips Fund and funds donated by Eric Zafran. © Malcah Zeldis.
![A wood and silver top of a Torah case with inscribed passages from the Torah.](https://d1nn9x4fgzyvn4.cloudfront.net/styles/scaled_562_wide/s3/2023-12/1SC468342_16x9.jpg?itok=9dywMKI_)
![An ornate, cylindrical wood and silver Torah case.](https://d1nn9x4fgzyvn4.cloudfront.net/styles/max_840x840/s3/2023-12/SC468855_overlay.jpg?itok=ZZ5CCGKJ)
Unidentified artist, Torah case, Iraq, 1879. Wood and silver, partially gilt. Jetskalina H. Phillips Fund.
Jewish communities around the world have long believed that beauty has the power to enhance ritual practice. According to the principle of Hiddur Mitzvah (Hebrew for “beautification of the commandment”), aesthetics are essential to all aspects of religious life. Especially in ceremonial objects, the quality of materials, harmony of forms, and richness of textures can appeal to the senses and deepen one’s immersion in spiritual customs.
Bringing together from the ϲʿֱֳ’s collection of Jewish ritual art, or Judaica—most of which are new acquisitions on view for the first time—this gallery explores the splendor of items made for Jewish religious experience, at home and in the synagogue. Treasures of all kinds are on view: metalwork, textiles, paintings, furniture, and works on paper. Created across the centuries, they originate from places as far reaching as Asia, North Africa, Europe, and the United States. Though their meaning and use have always been intrinsically Jewish, their styles and techniques vary greatly, reflecting the artistic language of their surrounding cultures.
With lavish reliefs, engravings, and enamel and niello adornments, a Torah shield by Elimelekh Tzoref of Stanislav (Galicia, modern-day Ukraine) (1781–82) is one of the finest in existence. Its remarkable ornamentation and craftsmanship reflect the importance of the Torah scroll—the handwritten text of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible—in Judaism. Constructed to house the scroll at the now-defunct Shaare Zion Synagogue in Chelsea, Massachusetts, a Torah ark by woodcarver Samuel Katz (about 1920) is rooted in local history: it tells a story about immigration to Boston and the many changes and challenges Jews from the area faced in the early 20th century.
Contemporary works from the United States and Israel, such as kiddush cups, candlesticks, and spice boxes used in the observation of Shabbat, offer innovative takes on Judaica for the home. Older items—including a wood and silver Torah case from Baghdad (modern-day Iraq) (1879) and used in Calcutta, India—act as tangible testimonies to their communities’ histories. Taken together, these objects draw connections that offer a deeper understanding of Jewish values, traditions, and identity across time and geography.
- Bernard and Barbara Stern Shapiro Gallery (Gallery 231)
ϲʿֱֳ Mobile
![A woman's arm adorns a silver bracelet with Hebrew letters](https://d1nn9x4fgzyvn4.cloudfront.net/inline-images/Tamar050218P_276_1_4x3.jpg)
Download ϲʿֱֳ Mobile on Bloomberg Connects to hear from curators, artists, and others about Jewish stories through a selection of art across the Museum. The audio tour includes text transcripts and detailed audio descriptions of the featured artworks for visitors who are blind or have low vision. Access the tour from home or bring your ear buds or headphones for the full in-gallery experience.
Looking for More Judaica?
Because Judaica simultaneously reflects a core Jewish identity and represents wider artistic styles, it lives beyond this dedicated space in galleries throughout the ϲʿֱֳ. ϲʿֱֳors can deepen their engagement with the collection area by seeing highlights across the Museum in conversation with art from different cultures—among them Dutch, Chinese, Islamic, and Italian.