Brooklyn (USA), Agudas Chassidei Chabad, Library of Agudas Chassidei Chabad: Megillah 4902 ื
About the Ilan
TextGrid URI of the Editiontextgrid:4bdxr
FamiliesGreat Tree (Lurianic) ๐๏ธSearch for Ilanot in this Family
Surfaces of the Ilan
Recto
About the Manuscript
Identifiers and Titles
IdentifierBrooklyn (USA), Agudas Chassidei Chabad, Library of Agudas Chassidei Chabad: Megillah 4902 ื
Primary Manuscript TitlesGreat tree
Alternative Manuscript TitlesNew York, Chabad, Megillah 4902 ื
Manuscript History
Origin
Date Informationlate 18th century
Physical Description
MaterialParchment ๐Translucent or opaque material made from calf, sheep, or goat skin which has been limed, dehaired, scraped, and dried under tension to produce a thin, strong material for writing, bookbinding, or other uses. For finer quality calf parchment, use "vellum." The terms parchment and vellum sometimes have been and still are both confused and used interchangeably. ๐๏ธSearch for Ilanot with this Material
FormRotulus ๐A roll of parchment or paper unrolled vertically for reading. ๐๏ธSearch for Ilanot with this Form
Dimensions Description230 ร 29
Hand DescriptionAshkenazic
Content Description
SummaryThis late eighteenth-century Great Tree rotulus presents the Poppers (P) and Zacuto-Zemah (Z) modules sequentially. The upper three-quarters of the parchment is dedicated to a complete witness of the Poppers module, including the characteristic gloss regarding the parsah of Adam Kadmon, which the scribe elegantly framed within towers on either side of the opening. At the conclusion of this section, a rare inscription in large square characters states "Up to here from the R. I[saac Luria]" explicitly signposting the transition between sources.
Richly decorated with floral, geometric, and architectural motifs, the ilan features an Ashkenazi bestiary including winged cherubim, diamond-encrusted crowns, peacocks, deer, and lions. Its artistic execution mimics fine engravings and shares a common source with the works of the scribe and artist Israel ben Asher Buchbinder. The manuscript was gifted to the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, around 1925 by Mr. Rubinstein of Konigsberg, who had inherited it from his ancestors. The Rebbe himself documented the gift's details on a sticker attached to the back of the scroll.
Richly decorated with floral, geometric, and architectural motifs, the ilan features an Ashkenazi bestiary including winged cherubim, diamond-encrusted crowns, peacocks, deer, and lions. Its artistic execution mimics fine engravings and shares a common source with the works of the scribe and artist Israel ben Asher Buchbinder. The manuscript was gifted to the sixth Lubavitcher Rebbe, Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn, around 1925 by Mr. Rubinstein of Konigsberg, who had inherited it from his ancestors. The Rebbe himself documented the gift's details on a sticker attached to the back of the scroll.
Further Information
Research LiteratureJ. H. Chajes, The Kabbalistic Tree (University Park, PA: Penn State University Press, 2022), 202โ204.
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