The Binding of Isaac, painting by Yosef Zvi Geiger (1870-1944), signed "Yosef Zvi Lebakh." Safed, [ca. late 19th century].
The work is divided into two horizontal panels; at the top is an inscription in gilt Hebrew lettering: "And the binding of Isaac — on behalf of his descendants — may You remember it today with compassion" (from the Rosh Hashanah prayer). On the first panel, the Patriarch Abraham is depicted wearing a prayer shawl as he grasps the knife and raises it. Isaac lies supine, bound to the altar, while an angel with three pairs of wings and the feet of a calf (based on the description of Holy Creatures in Ezekiel 1:7) halts Abraham by grabbing the knife. The ram is shown on the left, with its horns entangled in the thickets. The lower panel portrays a scene which would chronologically precede the one depicted in the upper panel: Abraham and Isaac appear here as well; Abraham is pictured carrying the knife and the firepan, and Isaac is shown holding a bundle of wooden branches while reading a book – an allusion to the Midrashic legend wherein Abraham attempts to conceal from Sarah the Lord's command to him, that he sacrifice Isaac, by telling her that he is taking Isaac to learn Torah at the "Yeshiva of Shem [son of Noah]". Appearing to the right of Abraham and Isaac are Eliezer and Ishmael – who, again according to Midrashic legend, were the two "young men" mentioned as accompanying Abraham on his journey in the story of the Binding of Isaac – and the donkey. In this panel, like the angel in the upper panel, all the Hebrew figures and their allies – namely Abraham, Isaac, and Eliezer – are shown wearing green hats, whereas Ishmael is depicted wearing an "Ishmaelite" head covering – a Turkish fez – and smoking a cigarette, while a curved sword dangles from his belt. The illustrated scenes all have captions citing the relevant biblical verses, and the images of the "young men" and the donkey are all identified with labels: "Donkey, " "Eliezer, servant of Abraham, " and "Ishmael." Each panel is framed inside a decorative border suggestive of a rope.
By giving the signature "Yosef Zvi Lebakh, " Geiger is choosing to use his alternate surname, Lebakh, derived from his father's full name, Rabbi Todros Brill (acronym for "Ben R. Yehudah Leib") Lebakh. Yosef Zvi's father was one of the figures in charge of Kolel Vizhnitz (functioned under the auspices of the Kolel Ostreich, which in turn served Safed's Torah scholars of Galician origin), and hence documents from the archives of Kolel Vizhnitz bear his signature with the name "Lebakh".
The Isaac Einhorn collection features a highly similar work; the human figures, the composition, and the inscriptions are all virtually identical. But the rope-like border is missing in Einhorn's version, as are the individual labels, and the work is unfinished compared to the present work. In "Arts and Crafts in the Land of Israel in the Nineteenth Century" (see below), Fig. 108, this work is attributed to artist Moshe Shah Mizrahi on the basis of other signed works of his – lithographic prints – that similarly deal with the Binding of Isaac. Mizrahi's naïve style, the appearance of the human figures and their manner of depiction, the composition, the choice of themes and scenes, with inscriptions featuring quotes from the Midrash – these and other aspects of Mizrahi's output all strikingly characterize both the present painting and its "twin" in the Einhorn Collection. Hence, the "twin" was attributed to Mizrahi as a matter of course. Nevertheless, the existence of the present, signed work, proves that the Einhorn "twin" is in fact Yosef Zvi Geiger's.
From Isaac Einhorn's account, we know that Moshe Shah Mizrahi lived in Safed for a number of years after immigrating to Palestine toward the end of the 19th century, and it is reasonable to assume that his use of the theme of the Binding of Isaac, along with the ever-recurrent form of composition of the type seen here, were things he first encountered when he met Geiger; he simply adopted themes and motifs from Geiger's works – a very common approach in folk art. Also noteworthy is the observation made by Shalom Sabar in his (Hebrew) article titled "The Binding of Isaac in works by Moshe Shah Mizrahi" (see below) that the roots of the theme of the Binding of Isaac can actually be traced to Hasidic folk art from Poland; according to Sabar, "in Poland in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the story of the Binding of Isaac was beyond a doubt the most popular biblical story in Jewish art. Depictions of the story appear on a wide range of items, including printer's marks, Torah ark curtains, Torah crowns, silver buckles on sashes worn on Yom Kippur, platters for the redemption of the firstborn ceremony, silver book bindings, and folk-art papercuts." In addition, illustrations of the Binding of Isaac have been documented to have adorned the walls of old synagogues in Poland. In most portrayals of the Binding of Isaac – as in the present one – Abraham is shown donning a prayer shawl with a silver "atarah" neckband and black stripes, reminiscent of the typical Hasidic "tallith." Geiger's other works – including his papercuts – all clearly identify him as a folk artist deeply imbued with the artistic traditions of his Polish Hasidic origins and environment. In this regard, they can be thought of as a link that connects Polish-Hasidic folk art with the work of Moshe Mizrahi. It is also quite likely that the paintings of the Binding of Isaac by the renowned naïve artist Shalom Moskowitz (also known as Shalom of Safed or Shalom Zeigermacher) – regarded, for the most part, as based on Mizrahi – were in fact inspired directly by Yosef Zvi Geiger's renderings of the Binding.
49X41 cm. Fair condition. Tears, some lengthy, causing minor damage to illustration. Reinforced on both sides of sheet with strips of paper and acidic adhesive tape. Stains. Creases.
References:
1. Yona Fischer, curator and ed., "Arts and Crafts in the Land of Israel in the Nineteenth Century, " exhibition catalogue. Jerusalem: The Israel Museum, 1979, Hebrew.
2. Shalom Sabar, "The Binding of Isaac in works by Moshe Shah Mizrahi: one of the founding fathers of folk art in Palestine, " in Hana Amit, Aviad Hacohen, and Haim Be'er, eds., "Minha LiMenachem: Kovetz Ma'amarim Likhvod HaRav Menachem Hacohen." Ra'anana: Hakibbutz Hameuchad, 2007, Hebrew. Pp. 465-87.

Yosef Zvi Geiger (1870-1944), native of Safed. One of the most prominent public figures in Safed. He served as general secretary of Safed's "Kolel" institutions, and his home was a regular meeting place for the "gaba'im" (managers) of the various Kolelim and congregations. The Yishuv's newspapers – including "Havatzelet, " "HaLevanon, " and "HaZefirah" – regularly published his articles. He also served as a scribe for the Kolelim, and assisted illiterate members of the community by writing letters on their behalf. Geiger was renowned in Safed for being both a gifted scribe and talented painter, entrusted with producing beautifully scripted documents. Among his extant works are splendid "Mizrah" and "Shiviti" plaques, calligraphic and illustrated title pages for "donors books, " certificates for donors and greeting letters, as well as papercuts in the Eastern European style. His contemporaries remember beautiful marriage contracts he produced for the city's couples, decorated with gilt lettering and floral and vegetal designs; and artworks he created to decorate the walls of the local synagogues, including gilt-lettered plaques. Among his many special talents was his ability to inscribe micrographic texts onto grains of wheat; he could fit several verses from the Bible onto a single grain. In the (Hebrew) book of memoirs by Yosef Zvi's grandson, Benjamin Geiger, entitled "One of the Elders of Safed, " Benjamin writes that his grandfather also specialized in engraving in stone (and engraved several headstones in Safed). Benjamin also relates that Yosef Zvi was a lover and champion of the Hebrew language, and in his efforts to promote the language he would put up signs with words in Hebrew on the walls of study rooms and yeshivas throughout the town, so that children would get to know these words. He personally taught the language to his children and grandchildren, ensuring they would become fluent.