As part of the III International Exhibition of Calligraphy in Veliky Novgorod, which will be held on the grounds of Yaroslav's Court on September 10-12, 2010, the world’s biggest mezuzah will be showcased.
This unique creation by Avraham Borshevsky, an expert in the field of sacral calligraphy, was announced as masterpiece of the national calligraphy by Israeli leading spiritual and academic authorities. The World Famous Mezuzah became the only masterwork of modern lettering art in The Guinness Book of Records. Until 2009, the sacral artifact was kept in the private collection in Jerusalem.
It is at the presentation in the Contemporary Museum of Calligraphy that the World Famous Mezuzah was presented for the first time. The presentation ceremony was attended by Andrei Busygin, the RF Deputy Minister of Culture, rabbi Aaron Gurevich, Head of the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia’s Department for Cooperating with the Military; Rev. George Roshchin, representative of the Russian Orthodox Church, department for church-state relations; Islam Zaripov, imam of Moscow cathedral mosque, and other reputable guests.
A mezuzah is a sacral piece of parchment with 2 extracts from the Pentateuch, proclaiming the exclusivity of God, love to Him and obedience to His commandments. To fulfill one of the 613 commandments of the Tora, the extracts are written by hand, according to the canons of sacred calligraphy. A collapsed manuscript is placed in a special case, which is then affixed to the right doorframe in all living quarters of a Jewish house. Thus, mezuzah is the world’s most popular manuscript, which has a history of more than 3000 years.