R. Shlomo of Helm (1717-1781) was a famous Jewish scholar and Rabbi in Poland. Although he was famous for his erudition in Jewish sources and law (Halakha), he chose extraordinarily to emphasize the importance of the study of Philosophy and Sciences alongside Jewish studies.

In the autograph manuscript of his book "Hug Ha-Aretz", recently purchased by the NLI, written in beautiful classical Hebrew language and in handsome calligraphic script, R. Shlomo drew a series of maps of the Land of Israel divided among the Tribes. Unlike the tradition following Rashi's maps, the legends in his maps prove that he was clearly inspired by the Christian maps of the Holy Land made by Adrichom and by Seutter.

This lithograph, printed by Schottlaender in Breslau around 1900, is the last in a long line of maps, or tables, depicting Jewish pilgrimage sites and tombs of righteous men in the Holy Land. It is special in that it chooses to present only the most significant holy sites, omitting the rest. In their stead, the author elects to show the new colonies just established by Jews thus blending traditional views with the new Zionist movement!

The most prominent settlement in the map is Jerusalem; Safed appears above, to its left surrounded by many sacred tombs. The new Zionistic settlements are identified by the author as "colonie".