Ordering a parochet (\u05e4\u05e8\u05d5\u05db\u05ea), the embroidered curtain for the Torah ark (aron kodesh, \u05d0\u05e8\u05d5\u05df \u05e7\u05d5\u05d3\u05e9), takes eight steps: measure the ark, choose style and color, settle the verse and dedication, choose the thread, decide on a matching set, approve a rendering and sketch, production and shipping, hang and care for it. This guide covers each step for communities abroad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A parochet is sewn to the measurements of your ark, so everything starts with measuring. Width: from the right edge to the left edge of the visible part of the ark. Height: from above the rail to the floor, minus 2 cm (about 1 in). If the ark has a side pocket, add 5\u201310 cm (2\u20134 in) of fabric so the curtain looks complete when it is not fully closed. If a cornice or pocket hides the top of the curtain, measure that part too. Measure everything twice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Write the measurements in both centimeters and inches, and say which unit you measured in. Photograph the ark from the front and from a distance, so the wall is visible, and add a close-up of the rail. A photo of the room from the seats shows how the design will read next to the ark and the wall, by day and in the evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Matanyah has hundreds of parochet designs in two families: rich designs with the Temple, a gate, crowns and ornaments, and clean designs built around a single verse or a graphic form. The styles are classic Jewish, modern, rich and ornate, typography and calligraphy, Chabad style and Moroccan style. There are models for narrow arks, and three-part models for wide arks or arks with several openings. See the custom parochet page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fabric is German velvet in many colors, among them dark blue, burgundy, black, red, purple, cream and white. An Italian velvet catalogue is kept in the Holon showroom for other shades. Communities abroad choose the color with the representative from the photos on the site and the catalogue. White and cream velvet cost more than the other colors, and the quote shows the difference.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A rule of thumb: on a dark wooden ark a light parochet stands out; on a light ark, dark blue or burgundy gives a dignified contrast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most designs carry a central verse with a motif beside it: a Torah crown, the tablets, a menorah, a tree of life, a flame, the choshen and the twelve tribes, lions, priestly hands, the seven species or a shofar. In almost every design the verse can be changed; the change appears on the sketch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Settle the dedication wording now, because it affects the layout of the embroidery. A memorial dedication (in memory of) usually includes four details: first name, family name, the names of the deceased's parents, and the Hebrew date of passing. For example: \u05dc\u05e2\u05d9\u05dc\u05d5\u05d9 \u05e0\u05e9\u05de\u05ea \u2026 \u05d6"\u05dc, \u05e0\u05dc\u05d1"\u05e2 \u2026 \u05ea.\u05e0.\u05e6.\u05d1.\u05d4. A line such as "\u05e0\u05ea\u05e8\u05dd \u05dc\u05d6\u05db\u05d5\u05ea \u2026" can be added for a living donor (in honor of). Questions of custom, such as whether to name the father or the mother, go to the community's rabbi. Collect all the names before work begins, and have one person approve them in writing. Matanyah offers a free consultation on dedication wording by phone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The verse, crowns and ornaments are embroidered in gold, silver or colored thread. Gold reads warm and festive; silver reads quieter and more modern. On white velvet, gold stands out and silver is more delicate. Check that the thread matches the rail, the lamps, the Torah crown and any existing mantles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In complex designs, several fabrics are layered and sometimes padded so the embroidery looks three-dimensional. The amount of embroidery and its spread affect the quote: the same design can run across the full width or sit in the center.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Most designs can be ordered as a set: a parochet and a bimah cover (\u05db\u05d9\u05e1\u05d5\u05d9 \u05d1\u05d9\u05de\u05d4) in the same design. The bimah cover is measured differently, and the representative tells you what to measure on the reading table. If you already have a parochet, send a photo and a matching cover will be suggested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Torah mantles (me'il, \u05de\u05e2\u05d9\u05dc) can be ordered in the same embroidery tones, sewn to the size of your scroll, with an embroidered dedication. Choose the mantle together with the Torah crown so the tones match. Details are on the Torah mantles page<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A white parochet is hung for the High Holidays, and some communities keep it up until Hoshana Rabbah or Simchat Torah. Many synagogues order two: the year-round design in white, or a separate holiday design.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Send the measurements, the photos, the design direction and your city and country through the contact page<\/a> or by email to m@matanyah.co.il. If you have not chosen a design, describe what the community is looking for and the budget, and the representative suggests a design and spread to match. Prices on the site are visible to registered customers; registration is free.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before you decide, you receive a rendering of the parochet on a photo of your own ark, to show the gabbai, the committee and the family.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the order is confirmed and the deposit is paid, you receive a sketch with the verse and the dedication. Up to three initial sketches are free; a further sketch, needed because a detail was missing or changed, is charged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n What is approved on the sketch is what is embroidered. The person who approves it is responsible for its content, so check every letter: names, dates, the verse and the dedication. A change request is considered if made within about six hours of approval; after that the order may already be in production. A custom order cannot be cancelled once production has started; before that it can be cancelled against a 10% charge for costs incurred.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After the sketch is approved, the parochet is embroidered, sewn with its valance and lining, and finished. Production usually takes about 21 days from sketch approval, and the final date is written in the order. Transit time depends on the carrier and the destination and is also set in the order. If the parochet must be hanging by a specific date, such as a holiday or a synagogue dedication, write that date into the order and the representative confirms whether it is feasible. Order a High Holiday parochet several weeks before Elul.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Payment is a 50% deposit on order confirmation and the balance before shipping. The representative confirms the payment method for your country. The binding price is the one in the written quote, and shipping is quoted by address.<\/p>\n\n\n\nStep 3: Verse and dedication<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Step 4: Embroidery in gold, silver or color<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Step 5: A matching set for the synagogue<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Step 6: Quote, rendering and sketch<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Step 7: Production, payment and shipping<\/h2>\n\n\n\n