Download The Synagogue

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:
 Orthodox – follow strictly, do not change
 Conservative – some follow strictly, many follow a
modified version, more flexible to change (ex. Giving
women equal role in synagogue ritual)
 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=9Z_gyc7yG_c
• Service
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5vpKoj8a93s
• How Jews Pray
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5amPgrazeo