4 BULLETIN 148, UNITED STATES NATIONAL MUSEUM 



for the Law of God it holds. It is often surmounted by a headpiece 

 of the Tables of the Law, or Decalogue, or some other emblems 

 called Icapporeth,^ and before its doors is a curtain of costly material, 

 which is named parolceth,^ after the curtain which in the Tabernacle 

 and the Temple screened the Holy of HoHes. 



1. Veil of the Holy Ark {paroketli). — The border of green velvet 

 is embroidered in gold and silver with flowers. The center of red 

 velvet, has in the four corners, in Hebrew, the names of the four 

 archangels, Raphael, Gabriel, Uriel, and Michael. On the top are 

 the words: "The Lord is in His holy temple; let all the earth keep 

 silence before Him" (Habakkuk ii, 8), and "I have set the Lord 

 always before me" (Psalms xvi, 8). Below is a burning lamp hang- 

 ing down by chains, representing the perpetual lamp before the Holy 

 Ark, and symbolizing the light which emanates from the Law of God. 

 On the sides are the words: "Open ye the gates, that the righteous 

 nation which keepeth the truth may enter in" (Isaiah xxvi, 2), and 

 "This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter into it" 

 (Psalms cxviii, 20). Height, 9 feet, 5 inches; width, 6 feet, 3 inches. 

 Constantmople, Turkey. (Plate 1, Cat. No. 154758, U.S.N.M.) 



2. Tordh scroll. — Manuscript written on parchment. The Penta- 

 teuch, called by the Jews Tordh, that is, the Law (properly instruc- 

 tion), is considered by them the most important and sacred portion 

 of the Scriptures. In order to keep it alive in the minds of the 

 people it is divided into pericopes* according to the number of Sab- 

 baths, the whole to be read through during the service in the syna- 

 gogue within a year.^ For this purpose a manuscript copy of the 

 Pentateuch is used. The copy is written by a professional scribe 

 (sojer), on parchment made of the skin of a clean animal (one whose 

 flesh may be eaten), in Hebrew, without vowel points, accents, or 

 verse divisions, in certain stated columns. These sheets are fastened 

 together with sinews of a clean animal so as to form a scroll, and 

 mounted on wooden rollers, called "tree of life" {etz hayim). When 

 the time arrives for the reading of the Torah, which is about the 

 middle of the service, the scroU is taken out of the Holy Ark and 

 carried in procession, the congregation standing, to the himah, or 

 almemar and is unrolled upon the table or desk. A pointer, ter- 

 minating in the form of a hand and hence called yad ("hand"), 

 guides the reader, preventing him from losing his place in the manu- 

 script. This table or desk is covered with a costly cloth similar to 

 the curtain of the Holy Ark. 



' Esodus XXV, 17; xxxvii, 6. 



• Exodus xxvii, 21; xxxiv, 35; xL, 21. 



* Such a weekly pericope is called bythe German Jews (Ashkenazim), sidra, or "order"; by the Portu- 

 guese Jews (Sefardim), parasha, division, section. This latter term is applied by the Ashkenazim to the 

 shorter divisions into which the sidra is divided. 



« Many modern Jewish congregations have adopted a triennial cycle, which was also known in ancient 

 times. 



