Prayer book (siddur) of the Rabbi of Ruzhin
Handwritten on parchment; brown, red, and green ink, tempera, gold and silver leaf; square Ashkenazic script
H: 18.5; W: 14.5 cm
B51.12.3026
180/053
This richly illuminated 15th-century manuscript takes its name from the Hasidic leader Rabbi Israel Friedman of Ruzhin (1796-1850), known for his opulent way of life. It was apparently owned by him, inherited by his descendants, and eventually purchased by the Israel Museum from the Friedman family of Buhusi, Romania. Containing daily, Sabbath, and festival prayers, the siddur is decorated with sumptuous initial word frames. The margins of the Haggadah section are filled not only with illustrations of the Seder ritual, but also with biblical scenes such as the Crossing of the Red Sea.
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