Personal Seal of Rabbi Shimon Sofer, son of the Chasam Sofer, Av Beis Din of Cracow and Author of “Michtav Sofer”. Mid 19th Century
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Shimon b’Hagaon Maharam Sofer, AB”D of the holy congregation of Cracow.” Personal seal of Rabbi Shimon Sofer, Av Beis Din of Cracow.
Description: Bronze seal with embossed letters and a marble handle. The center of the seal features an embossed image of the Ark of the Covenant with the Two Tablets resting upon it and a crown above them. Below the Ark, arranged in a circular shape is the inscription, "Av Beis Din of the holy community of Cracow" and below that “Ya”E” (the Hebrew acronym for “May G-d protect it”). Around the inscription are the words “Shimon son of the illustrious Rabbi Sofer, ” followed by an ornament, “Ya”E”, another ornament, and the acronym ‘of blessed memory’.
Rabbi Shimon Sofer (1821-1883), author of Michtav Sofer, was the son and disciple of his father the Chasam Sofer, perpetuating his sacred legacy of strengthening religious observance in the Diaspora. A genius who was fluent in both the Revealed and Hidden Torah, Rabbi Shimon Sofer was one of the foremost spiritual leaders of his generation, serving first as Rav and Av Beis Din in Mattersdorf and later in Cracow until his passing in 1883.
Rabbi Shimon Sofer maintained close connections with several great Chassidic leaders, among them Rabbi Chaim Halberstam of Sanz, author of Divrei Chaim, who significantly influenced his appointment to the rabbinate of Cracow and Rabbi Yehoshua of Belz, with whom he founded the Machzikei Hadas Society to strengthen Judaism in Galicia. In the year 1879, Rabbi Sofer’s brilliance and versatile talents led to his election as a delegate to the Austrian Parliament, where he acted as the liaison between the government and Jewish community. Emperor Franz Joseph I held him in high regard and even awarded him a honorary medal.
Condition: Good condition; minor loss and repairs to handle
Size: 9 cm high inc. handle; 3 cm diameter of seal
Provenance: Yechezkel Toporowitch Collection
Family Seals
Since the dawn of time and until this very day, kings and noblemen, countries, states and cities, associations, families and even individuals were known to adopt a particular symbol to identify and project their name and status. Many a Jewish family and dignitaries, specifically Italian Jews, chose specific symbols as their family seals, and these hallmarks were often manifested on illustrated kesubos, seals, books, bindings, ornamental items and even tombstones! Some of the more prominent and common seals included hands and crowns for families of Kohanim and washing cups for Levi’im. Yet aside for these typical ones, there were many others chosen by Jewish families, with common themes being lions, eagles, towers, the sun, moon and stars, birds, fish and a wide variety of trees and foliage. Some of the most famous family seals include those of the Rothschild family, Sir Moses Montefiore, and the Adler family who served for two generations as Chief Rabbis of England.
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