Pair of Torah Finials (work of art)
Artwork Info
Key Ideas
- These ornate silver objects are finials that decorate the top of a Torah scroll. All synagogues house a Torah scroll for weekly reading. The Torah contains the first five books of the Hebrew Bible.
- Decorating the Torah fulfills a Jewish commandment or mitzvah. The Jewish people are commanded to make religious deeds beautiful.
- These finials were used to decorate the Torah scroll at Temple Oheb Sholom in Goldsboro, North Carolina. This synagogue is the second-oldest temple in North Carolina.
Learn More
Torah finials are used to decorate the top of a Torah scroll (the first five books of the Hebrew Bible). Finials like these are also called rimonim, a Hebrew word meaning pomegranates. These pomegranate-shaped decorative ornaments are often placed at the top of Torah scroll covers.
The small bells that decorate these finials make music when the Torah is carried around the temple. This allows the congregation to locate the scroll by sound. Adorning the Torah fulfills the mitzvah (commandment) of Hiddur Mitzvah. The Hebrew phrase means “the beautification of a mitzvah.” Jews are commanded to make religious deeds beautiful.
Temple Oheb Sholom in Goldsboro donated these finials, a Torah pointer, and Torah shield to the NCMA in 2015. This temple, founded in 1886, is the second-oldest temple in North Carolina. These Torah finials are made in the same style as those found in European synagogues. Due to the decrease in attendance and the Jewish population in Goldsboro, Temple Oheb Sholom is now used as a soup kitchen.
Gertrude Weil was a member of one of the founding families of Oheb Sholom. She was a leader of the women’s suffrage movement and a civil rights activist. When this pair of Torah finials were dedicated to the synagogue, she would have been in attendance.
Birds, especially eagles, are a recurring motif in Jewish art, temples, and ritual objects. In Pirkei Avot, the elders advised the Jews to “be strong as a leopard, light as an eagle, fleet as a rabbit and strong as a lion, to do the will of your Father who is in heaven.”
Additional Resources
Resources for Teachers
- Watch a video about Jewish women in Greensboro, North Carolina.
- Read an article about Gertrude Weil.
- Browse lesson plans, teaching tools, and activities from the Jewish Women’s Archive.
Resources for Students
- Read an article about Gertrude Weil’s childhood at Congregation Oheb Sholom.
- Watch a video about Torah finials from the Jewish Museum.
Images
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Pair of Torah Finials
Two identical silver objects decorated with tiny bells and intricate swirls stand side by side. The body is a hexagon-shaped tower with three levels. There is a silver eagle with outspread wings at the top of each finial.