An Important Early Shiviti, Central Europe: 1698

This extraordinary decorative plaque is known as a shiviti and derives its name from the first word of the Hebrew verse: I have set the Lord before me always, (Ps. 16:8), which is prominently displayed at the top of one side of this parchment leaf. The central section contains various permutations of the tetragrammaton, the divine four-letter name of God, executed in spare-ground technique, above an architectural depiction of the Holy Temple in Jerusalem, flanked by griffins and framed by biblical verses (Ps. 51:12; Lev. 6:6). 

The reverse side features the text of Psalm 67 arranged in the shape of the Temple Menorah, a common mystical motif whose use dates back to at least the fourteenth century. According to Rabbi Isaac Luria (Arizal) who initiated the practice of including this psalm in the daily liturgy, it is particularly meritorious to focus one’s intentions on the form of the Menorah as the text is recited.  The representation of the Menorah is accompanied by other biblical verses (Ps.36:10, Gen. 49:18; Num. 8:2) as well as a 22 word kabbalistic phrase whose initial letters form another mystical name of God.

This elaborate double-sided shiviti would have been created to be placed between the leaves of a prayerbook, readily accessible for the worshipper’s use.

Literature: Esther Juhasz, "The Amuletic Menorah: The Menorah and Psalm 67" in Nancy Benovitz, ed., In the Light of the Menorah: Story of a Symbol, Jerusalem: The Israel Museum, 1999.