Decorated Miniature Esther Scroll [Jerusalem: ca.1930]

Scroll (height = 1⅛ in.; 40 mm). Gouache, ink and shell gold on parchment. 38 columns of 14 lines in square Hebrew script, with tagin, on 5 membranes. Housed in an engraved silver box containing two small decorated parchment sheets inscribed with blessings.

In this charming miniature Esther scroll, the entire length of the megillah is decorated with vibrantly colored columns and a recurring motif of paired fish, intrinsically connected to the Purim story. According to rabbinic legend, when the wicked Haman formulated his plot against the Jews, he sought out the most auspicious date to carry out his murderous designs. Haman determined, after consulting the astrological signs of the Zodiac, that the Hebrew month of Adar, which correlated to Pisces, was the most propitious in which to carry out his evil plan. According to Haman's interpretation, the sign of Pisces, universally represented as a pair of fish, predicted that the ultimate fate of the Jews, was to be swallowed like fish. The midrash goes on to explain that God, incensed at the arrogance of Haman in planning to destroy the Chosen People, declared, "Fish are sometimes swallowed, but sometimes they swallow as well, and you Haman, shall be swallowed by the swallowers."  The well-known conclusion of the Purim story reveals that Haman’s plans were indeed overturned.