Material Type

Artifact

Other Name

DOOR SCROLL, PRAYER HOLDER

Date Range From

1930

Date Range To

1940

Materials

ALUMINUM, PARCHMENT

No. Pieces

3

Description

1. SCROLL COVER: 9.3CM X 1.7CM METALLIC SCROLL SHAPED COVER. PIECE IS SHAPED LIKE JEWISH TORAH ROLE WITH TWO HANDLES ON EACH END. HAS STAR OF DAVID WITH THE HEBREW WORD "SHADDAI" INSIDE, WHICH MEANS "MOST HIGH". BELOW STAR IS DOUBLE TABLET MOTIF SURROUNDED BY SCROLL WORK AND A RAMPANT LION ON EACH SIDE. INSIDE TABLETS ARE THE FIRST TEN LETTERS OF THE HEBREW ALPHABET REPRESENTING THE TEN COMMANDMENTS. A CROWN IS ETCHED DIRECTLY ABOVE TABLETS. HAS SEVERAL SMALL DENTS. IT ALSO HAS FOUR TABS ON BACK BENT OVER TO BOLD BACK PANEL IN PLACE. THERE ARE PAINT SPLATTERS ON SCROLL HANDLES. 2. BACK PANEL: 7CM X 1.6CM RECTANGUALR METAL PLATE WITH FOUR HOLED TABS. PIECE IS SET INTO BACK SLOTS OF SCROLL COVER AND SLIDES INTO PLACE TO CLOSE BACK. TOP LEFT AND BOTTOM RIGHT TABS ARE TORN AND BENT FROM USE. 3. PAPER SCROLL: SINGLE SHEET OF PAPER 6.5CM X 7CM WITH HAND WRITTEN PORTION OF HEBREW SCRIPTURE. IT IS THE "SHEMA" PASSAGE FROM DEUTERONOMY 6. ON THE BACK SIDE IS A FEW HEBREW WORDS, ALSO HAND WRITTEN. THE LARGER PRINT IS "SHADDAI" OR "MOST HIGH". PAPER IS FOLDED AND YELLOWING SLIGHTLY.

Subjects

CEREMONIAL ARTIFACT

Historical Association

RELIGION

History

DOOR SCROLL WAS NAILED TO A DOOR FRAME AND A PERSON WOULD REACH OUT AND TOUCH THE SCROLL EACH TIME THEY PASSED BY TO BE REMINDED OF TORAH. THE SCROLL INSIDE THE MEZUZAH CONTAINS PART OF THE SHEMA. THE PASSAGES INCLUDED ON THE SCROLL ARE FROM DEUTERONOMY 6:4-9 AND 11:13-21. THE FOLLOWING IS A TRANSLATION OF THESE PASSAGES FROM THE JEWISH PUBLICATION SOCIETY TRANSLATION OF THE TORAH: DEUT 6:4-9 - HEAR, O ISRAEL: THE HASHEM OUR GOD, THE HASHEM IS ONE. AND THOU SHALT LOVE HASHEM THY G-D WITH ALL THY HEART, AND WITH ALL THY SOUL, AND WITH ALL THY MIGHT. AND THESE WORDS, WHICH I COMMAND THEE THIS DAY, SHALL BE UPON THY HEART; AND THOU SHALT TEACH THEM DILIGENTLY UNTO THY CHILDREN, AND SHALT TALK OF THEM WHEN THOU SITTEST IN THY HOUSE, AND WHEN THOU WALKEST BY THE WAY, AND WHEN THOU LIEST DOWN, AND WHEN THOU RISEST UP. AND THOU SHALT BIND THEM FOR A SIGN UPON THY HAND, AND THEY SHALL BE FOR FRONTLETS BETWEEN THINE EYES. AND THOU SHALT WRITE THEM UPON THE DOOR-POSTS OF THY HOUSE, AND UPON THY GATES. DEUT 11:13-21 - AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS, IF YE SHALL HEARKEN DILIGENTLY UNTO MY COMMANDMENTS WHICH I COMMAND YOU THIS DAY, TO LOVE HASHEM YOUR G-D, AND TO SERVE HIM WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, THAT I WILL GIVE THE RAIN OF YOUR LAND IN ITS SEASON, THE FORMER RAIN AND THE LATTER RAIN, THAT THOU MAYEST GATHER IN THY CORN, AND THY WINE, AND THINE OIL. AND I WILL GIVE GRASS IN THY FIELDS FOR THY CATTLE, AND THOU SHALT EAT AND BE SATISFIED. TAKE HEED TO YOURSELVES, LEST YOUR HEART BE DECEIVED, AND YE TURN ASIDE, AND SERVE OTHER GODS, AND WORSHIP THEM; AND THE ANGER OF HASHEM BE KINDLED AGAINST YOU, AND HE SHUT UP THE HEAVEN, SO THAT THERE SHALL BE NO RAIN, AND THE GROUND SHALL NOT YIELD HER FRUIT; AND YE PERISH QUICKLY FROM OFF THE GOOD LAND WHICH HASHEM GIVETH YOU. THEREFORE SHALL YE LAY UP THESE MY WORDS IN YOUR HEART AND IN YOUR SOUL; AND YE SHALL BIND THEM FOR A SIGN UPON YOUR HAND, AND THEY SHALL BE FOR FRONTLETS BETWEEN YOUR EYES. AND YE SHALL TEACH THEM YOUR CHILDREN, TALKING OF THEM, WHEN THOU SITTEST IN THY HOUSE, AND WHEN THOU WALKEST BY THE WAY, AND WHEN THOU LIEST DOWN, AND WHEN THOU RISEST UP. AND THOU SHALT WRITE THEM UPON THE DOOR-POSTS OF THY HOUSE, AND UPON THY GATES; THAT YOUR DAYS MAY BE MULTIPLIED, AND THE DAYS OF YOUR CHILDREN, UPON THE LAND WHICH HASHEM SWORE UNTO YOUR FATHERS TO GIVE THEM, AS THE DAYS OF THE HEAVENS ABOVE THE EARTH. THE WORD HASHEM REPLACES THE OCCURENCE OF YHWH, THE SACRED NAME OF GOD, IN THE TEXT. ONE IS NOT SUPPOSED TO PRONOUNCE THE SACRED NAME OF GOD. THUS, THE USE OF HASHEM ALLOWS AN ADHERENT TO PRONOUNCE ONE NAME OF GOD WITHOUT VIOLATING THE COMANDMENT THAT ONE SHOULD NOT SPEAK THE "YHWH" NAME FOR GOD. ON THE BACK OF THE SCROLL IN LARGE PRINT IS "SHADDAI" (ALMIGHTY). THE THREE LETTERS OF THE SHADDAI ARE AN ABBREVIATION OF THE STATEMENT "THE GUARDIAN OF THE DOORS OF ISRAEL." THE OTHER THREE WORDS ON THE BACK OF THE SCROLL ARE NOT ACTUALLY WORDS. THEY ARE WRITTEN UPSIDEDOWN AND THEY ARE A CODE. IF ONE TAKES THE LETTERS IN EACH OF THE WORDS AND SUBSTITUTES THEM FOR THE PREVIOUS LETTER OF THE HEBREW ALPHABET, ONE ENDS UP WITH THREE NAMES FOR GOD - YHWH ELOHEINU YHWH. SEE P19930055001GA. *UPDATE* IN 2019 COLLECTIONS ASSISTANT ELISE PUNDYK CONDUCTED A SURVEY OF PERSONAL ARTIFACTS, INCLUDING A NUMBER OF ARTIFACTS DONATED BY ROBERT MCHARDY. INFORMATION ABOUT MCHARDY FOUND ON A GRAVESITE DATABASE STATES HE WAS BORN ON JULY 11 1938 IN NEW GLASGOW, NOVA SCOTIA. HE CAME TO LETHBRIDGE AFTER ACCEPTING A TEACHING POSITION IN THE CITY IN 1968. HE WAS MARRIED TO FRANCES ANDERSON IN 1968 AND HAD TWO SONS. THE INITIAL DOCUMENTATION OF THESE ARTIFACTS STATES THAT THEY BELONGED TO ETHEL RODIN (NEE DUNN). ACCORDING TO HER JULY 12, 1990 LETHBRIDGE HERALD OBITUARY, RODIN WAS BORN IN LONDON, ENGLAND ON SEPTEMBER 4, 1907. SHE IMMIGRATED TO CANADA WITH HER FAMILY, WHERE THEY INITIALLY SETTLED IN EDMONTON. SHE MOVED TO LETHBRIDGE WHEN SHE MARRIED DAVE RODIN (DATE UNKNOWN). DAVE RODIN’S OBITUARY (PUBLISHED IN THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD ON SEPTEMBER 6, 1977) STATES HE CAME TO LETHBRIDGE IN 1929 TO OPERATE THE BUY-RITE GROCERY STORE. DAVE RODIN PASSED AWAY IN LETHBRIDGE ON SEPTEMBER 3, 1977 AT THE AGE OF 74 YEARS. ETHEL RODIN PASSED AWAY ON JULY 9, 1990 AT THE AGE OF 82 YEARS. PLEASE SEE PERMANENT FILE FOR MORE INFORMATION, INCLUDING COPIES OF THE LETHBRIDGE HERALD OBITUARIES.

*UPDATE* IN 2021 TWO COLLECTIONS ASSISTANTS, RYLEY GELINAS AND O. E., CONDUCTED AN AUDIT OF THE ROLLED TEXTILE COLLECTION, INCLUDING OTHER ARTIFACTS WITHIN THIS COLLECTION. RESEARCH CONDUCTED INTO THE DONOR WAS UNSUCCESSFUL AND NO FURTHER INFORMATION WAS MADE AVAILABLE AS A RESULT OF THE AUDIT WORK.

Catalogue Number

P19930055004

Acquisition Date

1993-09

Collection

Museum

Less detail