Judaica is not a word that is used very often these days. A lot of people don’t know what it is and what it stands for, let alone its value or worth. Even Jewish people don’t often know much about it unless they have been educated about it by their parents or other elders from the family. So let’s have a look into what Judaica is.

Judaica is the term used to describe Jewish ceremonial art – items that are used by Jews for the purpose of their religious rituals. It is considered important for Jews to enhance their mitzvah by using particularly beautiful objects to perform it since this is a way of honoring God and his commandments.

Judaism has always traditionally put a lot of importance on commissioning ritual objects that are made by talented artists and skilled craftsmen. With time, of course, some of these objects become artifacts and the older they are, the more historical value they have.

In the early commentaries on the Hebrew bible, a rabbi would talk about glorifying God, and praising him for beautiful things.  There are a number of valuable items that are considered to fall into the category of Judaica, including:

Kiddush Cups

These cups are decorative items that are used to sanctify Jewish holidays, and for the Shabbat. They can be made of pewter, silver, porcelain or nickel.

Candlestick holders

The hand washing cup, or netilat yediam.

The Havdalah Spice Box.

There are also decorative items used during Hanukkah and during Sukkot.

 

Interesting Collections of Judaica

Judaica is something that every Jewish family will have, but it’s particularly interesting to look at what has historically been used by Jews. The British Library has an interesting collection of Judaica, and you will see some at the Jewish Museum in London too, as well as in the Musee d’art et d’Histore du Judaisme, which is in Paris. There are similar museums in Prague and in North Carolina too, where Jews have donated historic and interesting items for preservation.

If you want to collect Judaica, you will find that auction houses such as Sotheby’s and Skinners often hold Jewish-focused auctions, which are the perfect place to pick up valuable, interesting and historic Judaica.

The collection of, and use of, Judaica is an interesting part of the religion. It is not encouraged for Jews to be materialistic in other parts of their lives, but they are encouraged to glorify God, and the use of lavish celebrations is one way of showing that they take pride in honoring God’s commandments. Jewish churches and Jewish celebrations are some of the most interesting ones to observe – not just for other Jews, but for anyone who has an appreciation for religion, art, and culture. If you have your own store, see this post to learn how you can sell more Judaica items. Judaica is s beautiful representation of the Jewish religion, and what it means to the artists and craftsmen that made the items.