Dutch-Portuguese Sephardic Torah Ark Curtain (Parochet), c. 1760–1770 – Silk velvet and metallic embroidery – Beatriz de Luna Art CollectionPublic domain · Wikimedia Commons ↗Torah ark curtaintitle QS:P1476,en:"Torah ark curtain"label QS:Len,"Torah ark curtain"Public domain · Wikimedia Commons ↗Parochet - Sephardic Torah Ark curtain - of Shalom Amiel, c. 1760–1780. Middelburgh Synagogue ?Public domain · Wikimedia Commons ↗
Description
Richly embroidered curtain, often of velvet enhanced with gold and silver threads, hung before or behind the doors of the holy ark (aron ha-kodesh) that shelters the Torah scrolls. It frequently bears dedicatory inscriptions and motifs such as the columns of the Temple.
Significance
It evokes the veil (parokhet) of the Tabernacle and the Temple in Jerusalem, sanctifying the space where the Torah rests.
