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Before the priestly blessing is recited in the synagogue, those making the blessing ritually wash their hands. It is also customary for Jews to wash their hands before entering a synagogue for worship…
Figurine of female deity, Tel Batash, 14th century BCE. Similar plaque figurines of naked women, often with breasts and genitals emphasized or with pregnant bellies, were very common in the ancient…
Figurine of calf and shrine, Ashkelon, 1600 to 1550 BCE. Some of the non-anthropomorphic figurines found at Israelite sites had religious significance, especially model shrines (such as the Model…
Musicians on ritual stand, Ashdod, late 11th or early 10th century BCE. Music and dance played an important role in Israel and the ancient Near East in both daily life and special occasions such as…
This bull figurine, 7 × 5 inches (17.5 cm × 12 cm), was cast in bronze with considerable detail. It combines highly realistic features—horns and ears, genitalia, legs and hooves—with more stylized…
For German Jews, it was traditional in the wedding ceremony for the groom to perform the ritual of breaking a glass in remembrance of the destruction of the Temple by hurling it or banging it against…
These are modern reconstructions of the Ark of the Covenant. Chests with images on top and with carrying poles are known from ancient Egypt. The depictions of the cherubs here are based on winged…
The Torah ark in the synagogue of Mariampol was surmounted by tablets of the law flanked by rampant lions and topped with a crown, with hands making the priestly blessing. After World War II, Soviet…
Though he later turned to a more abstract style, Elbert Weinberg was still making figurative sculptures in the early 1950s, when a trend toward pure abstraction was already dominant. But Ritual Figure…
Figurine of Male Deity, Ugarit, Late Bronze Age, 1550 to 1200 BCE. Seven and a half inches tall (19 cm), this figurine probably once brandished a weapon in its raised hand. It is identifiable as a…
