Hebrew Scroll of Esther accomplished in traditional Aschkenazi calligraphic hand on vellum. Black ink on six membranes set out in 24 columns. Slightly faded in places from use. Height of scroll: 14 inches (35.5 cm).

<<A most unusual Megillah in which a well known name is clandestinely recorded in the body of the text.>> Traditional Esther Scrolls are composed either in the “Hamelech” format (the initial word of each column being the Hebrew word for ‘The King’ - or standard text. Since the Halachic laws prescribed for the writing of Esther scrolls are similar to those of Torah scrolls, never would the name of the scribe be added to the text. This scroll, seemingly the only one of its kind, contains a flourish which could only have been accomplished by a particularly skilled, and rather daring scribe: The columns, varying in width, each have a raised initial letter, which together, spell the name “Abraham, son of Rabbi Shimon Oppenheim.” Brother of Samuel Oppenheim the Court Jew at the Imperial Court of Vienna, Abraham Oppenheim (zur Kanne) was a wealthy leader of the Jewish community in Worms and father of David Oppenheim, who rose to be appointed Chief Rabbi of Prague. Abraham Oppenheim was favored by the local German aristocracy, although toward the end of his life his property was lost in the great fire of Worms of 1689. Thereafter he encouraged the Worms community to settle in Heidelberg, where he later died and was subsequently buried in nearby Mannheim. The catalogue illustration above depicts the opening six columns of this Megillah, commencing with the Hebrew word “Vayehi.” Thereafter, the initial letter of each successive column spells out a full Hebrew name. Seen here are the letters A’V’R’H’M (i.e ‘Avraham’) the first name of Abraham Oppenheimer. See L. Löwenstein, Geschichte der Juden in der Kurpfalz (Frankfurt, 1895) p. 89 (where Abraham Oppenheimer’s epitaph is provided).