Glossary

The entries selection comes from the book “Dictionary of Judaica” (2005), which was written by a group of authors led by Eva Kosáková . Entries were further processed by Jaroslav Kuntoš, Dana Veselská, Olga Sixtová, Michaela Scheibová and Lenka Uličná. The book can be purchased at our e-shop.

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Torah crown (Heb. keter Torah)

An adornment to the Torah scroll*, placed on the projecting ends of the staves around which the scroll is wound. Usually, it is employed instead of Torah finials* on ceremonial occasions. In the Czech lands, the most typical form is that of an arched crown with bands that intersect at the top and extend from the bottom rim. A smaller crown of the same shape which is surmounted by a decorative element is usually placed at the point of intersection. Another type is the enclosed crown, the original shape of which is derived from the Austrian Imperial Crown. Crowns that are firmly attached to finials occur only rarely. The bottom rim usually contains a mechanism with a sliding ring that facilitates the safe placing of the crown on the rollers. The vast majority of crowns are provided with little bells that hang inside or are placed around its perimeter; the sound of the bells indicates that the scroll is being handled. Most crowns are made of silver, less frequently of silver-plated copper or copper alloy. The size of the crown is based on that of the scroll – the diameter and height is usually around 30 centimetres, although the dimensions may be larger.

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