Glossary

The entries selection comes from the book “Dictionary of Judaica” (2005), which was written by a group of authors led by Eva Kosáková . Entries were further processed by Jaroslav Kuntoš, Dana Veselská, Olga Sixtová, Michaela Scheibová and Lenka Uličná. The book can be purchased at our e-shop.

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Torah finials (Heb. rimmonim)

Part of a set of adornments to the Torah scroll*, placed on the protruding top ends of the staves around which the scroll is wound. Finials are somewhat variable in shape but have a basic composition with an extended circular base (corresponding in diameter to the protective rollers of the scroll), a cylindrical or shaped hollow stem and a spherical or mushroom-shaped top part that is decorated with damascene metalwork and cutout motifs and surmounted by a crown. Sometimes, a separate, larger crown may form the base. Finials without an extended base but with a tower-like capital derived from western European patterns are relatively rare. Little bells that indicate that the scroll is being handled hang around the perimeter of, and inside, the capital. Finials are usually made of silver, less frequently of copper or an alloy of copper with silver-plating. Depending on the height of the scroll, finials may vary considerably in height, but are usually between 20 and 30 centimetres. The Hebrew name for finials, rimmonim (lit. pomegranates), refers to one of the mostly widely used shapes of their capitals.

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