Since the Babylonian Exile in the early sixth century BCE, Jews have lived scattered across many lands, cultures and languages. One thing members of the diaspora long had in common was books that they created. Manuscripts have preserved the richness of Jewish life from Antiquity into modern times, and the voices of scholars and poets, scribes and artists reveal the everyday experiences of Jews across the globe.
The Library of the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS) houses one of the world’s largest and most important collections of Hebrew manuscripts and printed books, originating from Spain, Italy, France, Germany, Turkey, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Morocco and Yemen. The collection represents more than 10 centuries of Jewish scholarship, spanning Bible, liturgy, kabbalah, science, literature and philosophy.
Jewish Worlds Illuminated, currently on view at the Grolier Club in New York, is the most extensive display ever of the JTS Library’s Hebrew manuscript treasures. Each case presents scribal and artistic masterpieces from a particular region or period, and the collective works are evidence to intellectual, cultural and artistic life across centuries and continents. A few of the 100 rare works, selected for their typographic profundity, are shown and described below.
Prato Haggadah. Spain, ca. 1300. MS 9478. Courtesy of the JTS Library.
The original text of the Prato Haggadah was completed in Spain around 1300, but the illumination was never finished. Some pages are fully illustrated while others remain as outlines, allowing viewers to witness the manuscript’s creation step by step—rare evidence of a process that usually remains hidden.
This book of prayers is one of the most lavishly decorated Hebrew manuscripts produced in Italy in the 15th century. The scribe copied the text in semi-cursive script. Its decoration, featuring floral designs, gold leaf and colorful initials, reflects the artistry of multiple Florentine workshops (ateliers). Manuscript production in Renaissance Florence often involved collaborations among scribes, illuminators and goldsmiths, blending Jewish liturgical needs with local artistic traditions.
Mahzor Vitry. France, 1204. Simhah ben Samuel. Scribe: Eliezer bar Shmuel. Courtesy of the JTS Library.
The Mahzor Vitry contains prayers for the entire year according to the north French rite, as well as the customs pertaining to lifecycle events. This compendium, from the first decade of the 13th century, is a rare complete record of medieval Ashkenazi practice. On this page, the scribe has indicated his name in micrographic script: “Eliezer bar Shmuel, strength and be strong.”
Esslingen Mahzor. Germany, 1290. Scribe: Kalonymus ben Judah. Courtesy of the JTS Library.
This elaborate mahzor (holiday prayer book) contains the Ashkenazic rite for Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. The Esslingen Mahzor was copied and decorated by Kalonymus ben Judah in Esslingen, Germany, and completed on Jan. 12, 1290. This massive work is only the first volume of the mahzor; the second volume is currently housed in the Bibliotheca Rosenthaliana in Amsterdam. In medieval Germany, very large, illustrated prayer books were often intended use by the cantor of a synagogue. Enclosed within a Gothic-style monumental arch are the opening words of a liturgical hymn recited on the first day of Rosh Hashanah.
Bible. San’a, Yemen, 15th century. Courtesy of the JTS Library.
Throughout the history of Jewish art, the scribes and artists who produced illustrated Hebrew manuscripts adopted and adapted the visual culture distinctive to the country in which they worked. In Islamic lands that eschewed figural art, Hebrew manuscripts almost never contain images of human figures. The stylized birds and geometric motifs seen in this manuscript are characteristic of the ornamentation found in Bibles produced in Yemen in the 15th century.
Ketubbah (Marriage Contract). Oran, 1847. Courtesy of the JTS Library.
Ketubbot provide a wealth of information about the culture and traditions of Jewish communities, as well as the vision and style of the individual artist. By examining the names of the betrothed, dates, geographic locale, and monetary details contained within the text, the modern viewer can glean details about genealogy, communal customs, folklore, and the social and financial status of Jewish families from around the world.
This colorful ketubbah type was popular in Constantinople for many decades of the 19th century. It is characterized by crowded vegetation, flowers painted in bright colors without outlines, and gilt borders and inscriptions. The traditional wedding verse, “he who finds a wife finds a good thing” (Proverbs 18:22) appears in the central panel.
Primer. Egypt, 11th century. Courtesy of the JTS Library.
This fragment of a primer demonstrates how children were taught to recognize the letters of the Hebrew alphabet over a thousand years ago. Scholars suggest that the teacher would outline the form of the letters, and the student would fill them in—a technique still used today. Although one line of text, for the Hebrew letter mem, is missing, the remaining letters are recognizable.
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