Birth Amulet, Tunisia

Not much is known about the printer Ya‘akov ben Elijah Gaj, who worked first in Livorno, later in Algeria, and finally in Tunis. This is an early printed amulet from Tunis, containing texts and symbols commonly used on such talismans printed in North Africa. However, this example is somewhat unusual, as the Shir la-ma‘alot psalm is printed in the form of a menorah, similar to what is done for a shiviti (traditionally, a decorative plaque bearing the verse “I am ever mindful of the Lord’s presence,” Psalms 16:8).