The Synagogue Jewish place of prayer community and

The Synagogue

• Jewish place of prayer, community, and education • Services daily but main service on Friday night and Saturday morning • Requires a minyan = at least ten adults over the age of 13 • Usually led by rabbi = religious leader and teacher

Interior

All Synagogues contain. . . • Aron Kodesh – Holy Ark, holds Torah scrolls – After the Hebrews received the Ten Commandments, they were told to make an ark to house them – Each Torah is handwritten in Hebrew on parchment paper (animal skin) – Today, the Holy Ark sits on a raised platform in the synagogue, and contains the Torah scrolls. • Ner Tamid – “eternal light”, near the Ark – symbolizes the presence of God • Bimah – the lectern from which the Torah is read

Rabbi holding a Torah scroll – the scrolls are written in Hebrew by hand on parchment

• An Eternal Light hangs above the Ark. • This light is always burning, as a symbol of God’s presence.

Ner Tamid

Bimah

• Jews pray facing Jerusalem, so the synagogue wall containing the Holy Ark faces this direction. • Rabbis and elders sit along the wall which houses the Ark.

Orthodox synagogues separate men and women at worship. They have a divider called a mechitzah between the two sections of the synagogue.

Rabbi • He (or she in Reform and some Conservative communities) leads services, educates, and officiates at events like bar mitzvahs, weddings and funerals • It usually takes five years of postgraduate study to become a rabbi.

The Menorah • One or two Menorah (seven branched candle sticks) are found close to the Ark.

Synagogue Service • Service is led by the Rabbi and perhaps a cantor (leads sings and chanting of prayers and reads from Torah) • Service is often a mixture of Hebrew and English • Lasts between 30 and 90 minutes

The Service: • Chanting of the Shema (their most important statement of beliefs) and Amidah (silent prayer in which they ask God for certain things) • Scripture readings – Writings – Psalms – Prophets – Torah • Sermon • Blessings

Different branches of Judaism have different attitudes towards these laws: Y Orthodox – follow strictly, do not change Y Conservative – some follow strictly, many follow a modified version, more flexible to change (ex. Giving women equal role in synagogue ritual) Y Reform – following is up to the individual; many follow partially, only practice certain rituals which strengthen their relationship with God (ex. Sabbat and Kashrut are not observed, service in English)

Clothing During Service • Yarmulke/Kippah: – Hat worn by men during service/worship to show their respect for God • Tallit: – prayer shawl while praying – Filfills one of the commandments • Tefillin: – Small leather boxes with straps that can be tied on the arm and around the head (serving God with body and mind) – Contain versus on parchment from 4 sections of the Torah – Reminder of God’s commandments – Not worn on Shabbat or festivals

Clothing worn during worship: kippah tallit teffilin

• Tour of Synagogue: https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=9 Z_gyc 7 y. G_c • Service https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=5 vp. Koj 8 a 93 s • How Jews Pray https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=U 5 am. Pgrazeo