Plaque to mark the occasion of the Hebrew month of Adar, hand-painted by Yosef Zvi Geiger; marked with his inked stamp. Safed, Adar 5669 (1909).
This sheet is adorned with (Hebrew) verses and sayings relevant to the Hebrew month of Adar. Interspersed among the inscriptions are images of a pair of fish (representing Pisces), a pair of hands engaged in handshake, and a bottle and cup of wine and a "lekach" cake (honey cake). Marked with the inked stamp of Yosef Zvi Geiger and dated to the Hebrew month of Adar, 5669 (1909).
It was customary in Jewish communities from Eastern and Central Europe to hang up decorated plaques – either hand-painted or printed – on the occasion of the month of Adar. Such plaques would be placed over an unfinished patch in a particular spot on the wall serving to commemorate the destruction of the Temple in the home. This practice would represent a fulfillment of the Rabbinical teaching that, during the month of Adar, one should maximize joyfulness. It was considered most appropriate to have this joyfulness cover up and thus minimize the sadness that this particular unfinished patch of the building would normally signify. The plaques were made just large enough to cover the unfinished patch, roughly one square cubit. The plaques were commonly put up also in synagogues, where having a designated patch commemorating the destruction of the Temple was not customary. There was something of a generic format to these plaques, and they shared a number of common motifs, such as fish, food and drink, and other such symbols.

48X37 cm. Fair-good condition. Numerous repairs with transparent adhesive tape, with considerable resultant acidic damage from these repairs. Tears, small holes, and creases.

Yosef Zvi Geiger (1870-1944), native of Safed. One of the most prominent public figures in Safed. He served as general secretary of Safed's "Kolel" institutions, and his home was a regular meeting place for the "gaba'im" (managers) of the various Kolelim and congregations. The Yishuv's newspapers – including "Havatzelet, " "HaLevanon, " and "HaZefirah" – regularly published his articles. He also served as a scribe for the Kolelim, and assisted illiterate members of the community by writing letters on their behalf. Geiger was renowned in Safed for being both a gifted scribe and talented painter, entrusted with producing beautifully scripted documents. Among his extant works are splendid "Mizrah" and "Shiviti" plaques, calligraphic and illustrated title pages for "donors books, " certificates for donors and greeting letters, as well as papercuts in the Eastern European style. His contemporaries remember beautiful marriage contracts he produced for the city's couples, decorated with gilt lettering and floral and vegetal designs; and artworks he created to decorate the walls of the local synagogues, including gilt-lettered plaques. Among his many special talents was his ability to inscribe micrographic texts onto grains of wheat; he could fit several verses from the Bible onto a single grain. In the (Hebrew) book of memoirs by Yosef Zvi's grandson, Benjamin Geiger, entitled "One of the Elders of Safed, " Benjamin writes that his grandfather also specialized in engraving in stone (and engraved several headstones in Safed). Benjamin also relates that Yosef Zvi was a lover and champion of the Hebrew language, and in his efforts to promote the language he would put up signs with words in Hebrew on the walls of study rooms and yeshivas throughout the town, so that children would get to know these words. He personally taught the language to his children and grandchildren, ensuring they would become fluent.