Book of Psalms

In 1997 Beth HaTephila began to sponsor the creation of a hand written Book of Psalms. Our own Sam Shermis was the extraordinary calligrapher who labored four years over the psalms, all 150 of them, comprising 417 folio pages of hand lettered biblical verse. Each psalm was available for sponsorship and dedication by a doner. The sponsor's name or organization is appended to the sponsored psalm. Upon completion, the pages were assembled into "signatures," stitched together and then bound by hand to make a complete book. The book is beautifully bound in red leather with an etched brass title plate. The binding was done by Vessels of the Spirit, a.k.a. Susan Lightcap; the brass title plate by W.E. Baum Bronze Tablet Company.

Our Book of Psalms may be seen in a new glass display case located in the right front corner of the sanctuary. It was built by Dr. Mark Jaben and Mark Vandewart, members of the congregation. It is planned that a psalm will be read from this book every Friday by the person(s) sponsoring it. The left photo below shows the exterior of the book. It measures 12 inches wide by 14 inches high. The photo on the right shows a typical page. Note the dedication on the bottom. Click on the images for a larger view.