I already wrote in 2006-7 about two manuscripts from the Cairo Genizah which
include Stars of David, but now that The Friedberg
Genizah Project is online it is a
whole new game. I salute the organizers of this web site for their
extraordinary achievement. It took me sometime to register and install Java,
but eventually I found a few more Genizah manuscripts which include Stars of
David:
T-S AS 54.138 (1v) shows a fine Star of David made from small lines.
There's also a rhombus in the same page.
T-S Misc 1.75 is a page from Psalms 64-66 and it has on the right side a
small vertical floral ornament which ends with a tiny Star of David made from one
line.
T-S 125.94 has two small Stars of David and one which is larger and in
it some Hebrew words from which I recognized the Hebrew words (in capital
letters): Morasha Kehilat Ya'acov. In one of the two small Stars of David I
recognized one of the two cursive Hebrew words - Tor.
T-S 135.169 has on the first from four leafs two Stars of David, one
with a point in its center. On the second leaf there are 5 jotted Stars of David and in the center of the sixth
there's a point in the center.
T-S 150.195 has at its bottom a few lines filled with small Stars of
David.
T-S 297.90 – according to its description it has a Star of David in a
magical context in Arabic but I couldn't see the image.
Cambridge, CUL: Or.1080 1.63 2v1 Arabic letters Magic many stars of David on rows 2,4,5 Source of information: Gideon Bohak, Head of FGP Magic team
Cambridge, CUL: Or.1080 1.63 2v1 Arabic letters Magic many stars of David on rows 2,4,5 Source of information: Gideon Bohak, Head of FGP Magic team
Cambridge,
CUL: T-S Ar.53.21 - Arabic letters; Margins contain some jottings and drawings
of the Star of David and other symbols
Cambridge,
CUL: T-S K1.5 Aramaic Hebrew, Magic, contain some drawings of the Star of David
Cambridge,
CUL: T-S K1.62 Large star of David surrounding and surrounded by names of God
Source
of information: Gideon Bohak, Head of FGP Magic team
The Cairo Genizah documents were written from about 870 C.E. to 1880 C.E.
so it is hard to know when each of these Stars of David was drawn. Anyhow we
have so few instances of Stars of David from that period that this treasure adds
a lot of interesting content for research.
