Mappah

Not very well known in Austria is the custom of attaching a Torah pennant to the Torah scroll. A pennant is made from circumcision cloths, which are sewn together and sometimes elaborately embroidered. On Bar Mitzvah, the pennant is given to the synagogue as a gift. The dedicatory inscription reads: "Nathan, son of Yizchak Katz Shalit was born under a good star on Wednesday, the 10th of Adar of the small calendar (i.e.: 9 March 1740). May the Lord make him grow up to Torah, to chuppah and to good deeds. Amen. Sela".
The embroideries show hare, duck, goose, squirrel, birds, cat, deer, buck and peacock, perhaps indicating the rural environment of the embroiderer. A particularly long snake, a unicorn and an unidentifiable large bird - possibly a stork - are reminiscent of fairy tales and fables.