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While the word "crown"
figures prominently in medieval Jewish literature, it was not before
the late sixteenth century that it assumed an independent role as a
symbol in Jewish art. The crown that has become a central motif in Jewish
art during recent centuries is similar in form to the crowns of the
kings of Europe. It is extremely common on ceremonial objects related
to the Torah scroll and is often portrayed as being borne by lions or
hovering over them in the upper section of the embroidered curtains
for the holy ark, or of the symbolic compositions on breastplates and
holy arks in synagogues. The most common of all are the three-dimensional
Torah crowns, usually made of precious metals, sometimes decorated with
semi-precious and precious stones. Torah crowns of this type were used
primarily in Central and Eastern Europe beginning in the seventeenth
century.
The three-dimensional crown, designed to draw attention to the loftiness
of the Torah and to crown it both physically and spiritually, includes
a variety of formal designs of special symbolic significance, related
to the values of the Torah itself. Many of these design compositions
from the seventeenth century were influenced by the baroque style.
Some of these are arranged in layers, with organic transitions from
one shape to the next and strict attention to the harmonious integrity
of the whole. The structures merge upwards into one another, giving
the compositions a feeling of ascent from heavier elements near
the base, to light airier ones at the top. The most common of the
many formal and symbolic motifs in these layers are the eagle, the
lion, the zodiac and botanical motifs such as the Tree of Life.
The composition sometimes ends at the top with a bird next to a
stream of running water. The decorative composition on the three-dimensional
crowns also includes additional crowns which divide the design into
registers.
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Torah
Crown, Poland 1695
Sir Isaac & Lady Wolfson Museum,
Heichal Shlomo, Jerusalem
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The use of these
decorative designs is undoubtedly based on more than merely aesthetic
considerations or the desire to glorify the Torah. The expression "crown
of Torah, crown of priesthood and crown of royalty," which sometimes
appears alongside the visually portrayed crowns, hints at the deeper
and broader symbolism of the crown motif. Rabbinic literature linked
the crown to the Divine Presence. The verse, "When the crown arrives,
all of the soldiers above shudder and roar like a lion,"*
evokes associations of Godly power.
In the Kabbalah, the crown stands for the first sefirah (emanation
of God's hidden essence). Scholars of the Kabbalah disagree on the meaning
of this sefirah. Some believe it headed the system of sefirot
and approached infinity. Others regard it as infinity itself, devoid
of any element of activity. According to this view, the first sefirah
is the One, the Eternal, "which was, is and will be." The
system of mystical hit'nozezuyot (sparks of light) mentioned
in the Kabbalah sees wisdom as coming from the crown.
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From
the sixteenth century, Kabbalistic literature has made extensive
use of the Tree of Sefirot, symbolizing divine activity,
as a graphic device. Graphic depictions of the Tree of Sefirot
became one of the fundamental components of practical and popular
Kabbalism. Likened to the Tree of the World and the Tree of Life,
which generate the divine powers needed by Creation, the roots
of the Tree are planted in the uppermost sefirah, which
is the crown. It appears then that the crown accrued heavy symbolism
as a result of this status of proximity to the divine, to that
which cannot be figuratively portrayed in monotheistic Judaism.
In summary, we may say that the diversity of the crown's symbolic
associations can be explained by ideas which were influenced by
Jewish mysticism and by its attempts to come to terms with the
complex relationship between God and His creations.
Tree of Sefirot
illustration from manuscript of Pardes Rimmonim ("Orchard
of Pomegrantes")
book of Kabbalahwritten by Rabbi Cordovero, Italy, 16th century.
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*
Pesikta Rabbati, Part 1, 20 [Back].
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From:
Living Symbols: Symbols in Jewish Art and Tradition by
Ida Huberman.
Modan Publishers Ltd., 1996. Reprinted with permission of the
publisher.
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