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Torah case
Iraq
1879
Medium/Technique
Wood, silver, partially gilt
Dimensions
104.5 × 27.5 cm (41 1/8 × 10 13/16 in.)
Credit Line
Jetskalina H. Phillips Fund
Accession Number2023.66a-c
CollectionsJudaica
ClassificationsRitual objects
InscriptionsAround the top rim of the Tik:
This Tik and the Torah scroll within were dedicated by the wise Senior Aharon Shalom Gabai, may the Lord sustain him and protect him, for the exaltation and rest of the soul of the young man Sasson, his son, may his soul be bound in the bond of life.
On the panels inside:
This Tik and the Torah scroll within were dedicated by the wise and famous Senior Aharon Shalom Gabai, may the Lord sustain him and protect him, for the exaltation and rest of the soul of the unfortunate young man Sasson, his son, who passed away the 7th day of the month of Tevet in the year 5640 [22 December, 1879].
This Tik and the Torah scroll within were dedicated by the wise Senior Aharon Shalom Gabai, may the Lord sustain him and protect him, for the exaltation and rest of the soul of the young man Sasson, his son, may his soul be bound in the bond of life.
On the panels inside:
This Tik and the Torah scroll within were dedicated by the wise and famous Senior Aharon Shalom Gabai, may the Lord sustain him and protect him, for the exaltation and rest of the soul of the unfortunate young man Sasson, his son, who passed away the 7th day of the month of Tevet in the year 5640 [22 December, 1879].
Provenance1879/1880, commissioned in Baghdad by Aaron Shalom Gabai (b. 1826- d. 1888) for a synagogue in Kolkata, India, probably Beth-El Synagogue [see note 1]; about 2001, removed from the synagogue and sent with other ritual objects from Kolkata to Israel for sale [see note 2]. 2001, sold by Berus Azizian (dealer), Jerusalem and Jaffa, Israel to William Gross, Tel Aviv; 2022, sold by William Gross to the MFA. (Accession Date: February 15, 2023)
NOTES: [1] According to inscriptions on the inside and outside of the object. In 1840, Aaron Shalom Gabai traveled to Kolkata, where he amassed a fortune in the opium trade between India and China. A noted philanthropist, he passed away in Kolkata in 1888. Based on the date of the object, it is more likely to have been given to Beth-El Synagogue, which was founded in 1856, than to Magen David Synagogue, also in Kolkata, which was founded in 1884 (see below, note 2). Elijah Shalom Gabai, Aaron’s brother, paid for the enlargement of Beth-El in the 1880s.
[2] Around 2001, the Archaeological Survey of India took over two of Kolkata’s three synagogues, Magen David and Beth-El, along with other heritage sites. Ritual objects were removed and sold in Israel to benefit the Jewish community.
NOTES: [1] According to inscriptions on the inside and outside of the object. In 1840, Aaron Shalom Gabai traveled to Kolkata, where he amassed a fortune in the opium trade between India and China. A noted philanthropist, he passed away in Kolkata in 1888. Based on the date of the object, it is more likely to have been given to Beth-El Synagogue, which was founded in 1856, than to Magen David Synagogue, also in Kolkata, which was founded in 1884 (see below, note 2). Elijah Shalom Gabai, Aaron’s brother, paid for the enlargement of Beth-El in the 1880s.
[2] Around 2001, the Archaeological Survey of India took over two of Kolkata’s three synagogues, Magen David and Beth-El, along with other heritage sites. Ritual objects were removed and sold in Israel to benefit the Jewish community.