Guiding Hands for Sacred Scripts: Torah Pointers, Art, and Contexts

The act of beautifying or enhancing mitzvot and Jewish ritual is reflected in the rabbinic idea of hiddur mitzvah. One who enhances a holy act and a ritual object with aesthetic and pleasing design is fulfilling this directive. As suggested in Psalm 29: “Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” Make each object functional, as well as beautiful, with fine materials, craftsmanship, and artistry and you shall be glorifying God.

According to the medieval rabbi Moses Maimonides, there is a special mitzvah to beautify a sefer Torah, a Torah scroll, the holiest object in Judaism. Over the centuries, special elements were created to beautify the sefer Torah. One of them is a Torah pointer, or a yad. Because the Torah scroll is considered so holy that it cannot be directly touched, the Torah pointer is used in the ritual reading of the Torah to keep the reader from directly touching the parchment.

The exhibit “Guiding Hands for Sacred Scripts: Torah Pointers, Art, and Contexts, Torah Pointers from the Barr Foundation Collection” highlights Torah yads from different regions and times. Some were created as functional pointers, but others, less functional, are works of art, inspired by the idea of what a pointer is. All, however, are connected to the idea of beautifying religious ritual and showing the importance of the Torah in the Jewish tradition. The exhibit also engages with the idea of what Jewish art is: art created for ritual use and art inspired by Jewish texts and traditions. It explores different materials and interpretations of the Torah yad and places them in conversation with other historical artifacts: medieval manuscripts and printed books from Fordham’s Special Collections and Archives.

In addition to the Barr Foundation Yad Collection, we are pleased to have on view the work of two 20th-century American artists, Ben Zion and Mordechai Rosenstein. These painters/sculptors sought to convey Jewish concepts through their devotion to art. Through the lens of modernism, Ben Zion, a multi-media artist, demonstrated that expressionism can be used for a sacred purpose. He aimed to make his deep knowledge of Jewish heritage accessible and meaningful to a wider audience. So, too, Rosenstein, who used bold colors and flowing Hebrew calligraphy to transform sacred texts and concepts to express their beauty through joyfulness and spirituality.

This exhibit has been made possible by the Hadassah R. Weiner Fund for Jewish Art at Fordham and the Barr Family Foundation.

The opening is on Sunday, September 14 at 4:30 p.m. at the Walsh Family Library, O’Hare Special Collections.