AN EXHIBITION ON PHILADELPHIA'S HEBRAICA:

'A Holy King'
August 02, 2007 - Robert Leiter, Literary Editor (Jewish Exponent)

If we Jews are truly the People of the Book, then there is no more exact and resonant exhibit now on display than Chosen: Philadelphia's Great Hebraica, which runs through the end of the month at the Rosenbach Museum and Library off Rittenhouse Square. The telling nature of the show is made even more concrete by a close perusal of the catalogue, which has just been released by the museum; the book allows you not only to dwell over the artifacts on display -- albeit via fine, clear reproductions of them -- but you can take all the time necessary to absorb their effect and the corresponding information that's been compiled about them.

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The catalogue, like the show, follows the history of the Jewish book, from its inception in scrolls in ancient Israel to handwritten manuscripts in the Middle Ages, then to printed works once Johannes Gutenberg devised his revolutionary press -- and on to the flourishing of Hebrew book-making in the early modern period. Both catalogue and exhibit conclude with a section on the somewhat specialized endeavor -- the creation of Megillot.

The latter, along with the numerous examples of illuminated manuscripts, do capture the eye immediately with their deeply faceted hues, despite the fact that many pieces bear significant evidence of age. But the truly captivating items are the miniatures, like the Torah with a dress and crown, dating from 18th-century Europe; and the Torahs housed in special decorated containers, like the one enclosed in a tik, which looks old but is listed as a 20th-century product of Iraq.

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