Mazal Tov! Milestone Moments in Jewish Life

Mazal tov might be the single best-known Hebrew phrase; it’s heard at every joyous occasion, alongside its common counterpart, siman tov. But what do these well-wishes really mean?

Both mazal and siman are Hebrew words that describe the constellations of a given month, and together with the word tov, meaning “good,” they express a wish that the monthly alignment of stars will bring good tidings and success to whatever joyous event is taking place.

The idea for this exhibition was born as the Museum prepared for its 60th anniversary—a celebration of six decades of establishing rare and significant collections, including the world’s largest and most diverse collection of Jewish material culture.

At the heart of the exhibition are Torah binders (wimpels)—narrow cloth cummerbunds presented to the synagogue upon the birth of a baby boy and used to bind the Torah scroll beneath its impressive Torah mantle. These binders, by their nature hidden and seen only briefly just before the Torah is unfurled, will themselves be unfurled as they are given their place in the spotlight.

The exhibition showcases additional objects related to rites of passage, including Torah mantles and Torah cases (for the Bar Mitzvah), and illuminated kettubot (marriage contracts). These objects represent the traditional path of boys to religious adulthood, though increasingly over recent generations girls too have been folded into the traditions of britot upon birth, and reading the Torah on their bat-mitzvah.

These joyous occasions are the true expression of the values and traditions that bind together the Jewish world.