Single sheet, decorated, with piyyut (liturgical poem) for Friday night. Iran, Tevet 5672 [1911/12]. Written by David Sasson ben Nissan.
Ink, pencil and paint on paper.
Single sheet, handwritten, with the Hebrew piyyut that opens with "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Almighty" (attributed to Rabbi Sasson Mordechai Moshe), recited by Iraqi Jews on Friday night. The page is divided into two columns; in the right column, the Hebrew title "This is the Song of the Holy Sabbath" appears inside tapering horseshoe arches, and at the bottom of the left column, the scribe gives his signature: "I am the young writer, David Sasson son of ... Nissan in honor of... the young man Moshe ben Adoniya... written [on] the Month of Tevet, Year 5672 [1911/12]." Underneath the latter is a schematic drawing of a flower, flanked by a pair of birds. The text is enclosed in an orange-brown border.
Some of the words of the piyyut are misspelled with additional vowels, presumably to facilitate pronunciation (see Hebrew text).
26.5X21 cm. Good condition. Few stains and tears.
Purchased in Bukhara, September 2005.

Torah pointer. Iran (Isfahan) or Jerusalem's Persian-Jewish community, 5685 [1925].
Silver, cast and engraved.
Flat Torah pointer with long handle. Flat hand with extended fingers in form of "hamsa." Hebrew dedicatory inscription: "Saltanat Estouar-Babel", "6th of Av 5685 [1925]." Engraved Hebrew inscription on both sides of hand: "Sacred to the Almighty."
Length: 30 cm.

Two Torah pointers. Iran or Jerusalem's Persian-Jewish community,
[first half of 20th century].
Silver, cast and engraved.
1. [Iran-Kurdistan]. Upper segment of handle rectangular, surmounted by ring. Lower part cylindrical. Flat hand with extended fingers in form of "hamsa," with elongated middle finger. Cuffed wrist. Hebrew dedicatory inscription: "Simha bat Malkah." Length: 27.5 cm.
2. [Iran-Iraq]. Upper segment of handle cylindrical, surmounted by suspension ring. Lower segment flat. Flat hand with extended fingers in form of "hamsa." Hebrew dedicatory inscription: "For the soul of... Reuven ben Hai." Length: 31 cm.

"Torah crowns" – Pair of Torah finials. Mountain Jews (Caucasus Region – Azerbaijan? Dagestan?), [19th century].
Silver, cast and engraved.
Torah finials ("crowns"), with spherical body surmounted by cylindrical segment in turn surmounted by additional spherical ornament. A band encompasses the circumference of the body, dividing the sphere into upper and lower hemispheres. Suspended from this band are chains with bells. Chains with metal disks that act like bells are suspended from the cylindrical segment surmounting the body. Long tapering shafts, with engraved Hebrew dedicatory inscriptions: "Sanctified to the Almighty, from Mordechai son of Menashe Taharani."
As was the case with the Jews of Afghanistan, among the Mountain Jews of the Caucasus Region, Torah finials were known in Hebrew as "Keter Torah" ("Torah Crown"). The shape of Torah finials known to us from these countries was influenced by the design of Persian finials; up until the Russian conquest of the eastern Caucasus in 19th century, the Mountain Jews were, in effect, like the Jews of Bukhara, part of the cultural sphere of Persian Jewry. Moreover, the geographic proximity of Iran to the Caucasus Region readily enabled population exchanges, and mutual influence on material culture. Thus, for instance, we know of a pair of Torah finials of the Georgian type bearing a dedicatory inscription of the Sephardic Persian-Jewish community living in the city of Baku, capital of Azerbaijan.
Height: 20.5-21 cm. Minor fractures. Old soldering repairs.
Reference: Mountain Jews: Customs and Daily Life in the Caucasus, pp. 51-57.

Small drinking bowl ("jam-tas"). Afghanistan, 5694 [1934].
Silver, cast and engraved.
Small bowl, which would have been used by Jews in Afghanistan for drinking arak on holidays and during celebrations. Richly adorned with decorations and inscriptions. At center, a large Star of David – framing the Hebrew word "Zion" – encircled by eight small framed images of fish, birds, animals, a table set with beverage vessels, and more. These illustrations in turn encircled by Hebrew dedicatory inscription: "May you be granted many pleasant years of life in the celebration of Jerusalem, may it be rebuilt and reestablished speedily in our time, It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones, Hayyim son of Aharon…". Rim of bowl decorated with vegetal pattern interspersed with four small medallions, each with single Hebrew letter, which, together, give Hebrew year "5/6/9/4" (1934).
Diameter: 9 cm. Good condition.
Reference: Afghanistan: The Synagogue and the Jewish Home, item nos. 72-74.