Haggadah (Polna)

Meshulam Zimmel ben Moses of Polna

1719

Manuscript page with Hebrew text surrounded by illustrations of lions and man with sword at top, rulers on either side of text in the middle, and people seated at dining table at bottom of page.
This Haggadah was commissioned by Nathan ben Isaac Oppenheim of Vienna, a member of a prominent family of Court Jews. Its title page features a miniature of the sacrifice of Isaac being prevented by an angel (in the circle at top) and depictions of the biblical Moses, Aaron, King David, and King Solomon. At bottom, a Passover seder is pictured.

Credits

The National Library of Israel, Jerusalem, Ms. Heb. 28°5573.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.

Engage with this Source

Creator Bio

Meshulam Zimmel ben Moses of Polna

18th Century

The scribe and copper engraver Meshullam Zimmel ben Moses of Polna was active in Prague, Polna (in Bohemia), and Vienna in the early eighteenth century. He was one of the most important Jewish scribes and artists of the eighteenth century. His patrons for his work as a scribe included the wealthiest Viennese court Jews of the time, but it is likely that he needed to work as a copper engraver in order to earn a living. Most of his works were privately commissioned small prayerbooks and Haggadahs.

Related Guide

Early Modern Rabbis and Intellectuals on the Move

Carrying books and knowledge, itinerant rabbis and scholars traveled between communities, facilitating cultural exchange. 

Related Guide

Early Modern Religious Practices

Early modern Jews both preserved tradition and innovated, Documents and legal texts reveal rich details about synagogue life, marriage, family relations, and death rituals.

You may also like

Petitionary Prayer

Peh Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter into them, I will give thanks to the Lord (Psalms 118:19); He has regarded the prayer of the destitute and has not despised their prayer…
View Source