Mizrah Zvi Hirsch Samuel 
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This decorative plaque, known as a mizrah, was hung on the eastern wall of a home or synagogue to indicate the proper orientation for prayer as it is customary for Jews to pray facing toward Jerusalem. Surrounding the entire piece is a border composed of a quotation from Sefer ha-Hayyim, an anonymous work of mystical and ethical teachings written at the beginning of the thirteenth century: "Man is troubled by the loss of his wealth and not distressed by the passing of his days; his money will not aid him and his [passed] days will never return." |
