Download Gathering in the Synagogue - Church of St. Mary Religious Education

GATI{ERING IN TI{E SYNAGOGUE
Judaism has been a model for corrbining tradition, ritual, sacred space and prayer in a
house of worship. The synagogueis the place of worship for the Jewish communiry.
History, community and Torah intersect in this sacred space. Every synasoguehas certain
traditional elementswhich have been part of the faith for hundreds of generations.Ard
each syuagogue reflects the taste and character of its congregation in its architecnrre,
'ng
sea
arrangements,music accommodationsand many other details. Therefore,what one
e4periencesin the q;nagogpeis not only a biblical people, bui an evolving faith tradition.
Some Jews refer to their synagogueas the "teurple" which really refers to the historic
Temple in Jenrsalem. The Temple was destroyed in 586 B.C.E. and asain in 70 C.E.
Syuagogues developed as ureetiug places in the first erile and became linked with the
activities of worship, religious study and debate. After the second destnrction of the
Temple, the sltagogue became the focus of Judaisrn.The rituals of the Temple were
replaced by the prayersand traditionsin the qrnagogueand the home; prayerswere offered
to God rather that portions of the harvest or livestock- Rabbis, or teachers,replacedthe
priests. The synagoguebecame the place of prayer, sfudy and communal gatheringand
continues to be the house of worship for contemporaryJews.
The scrolls of the Torah are the center of worship and of the sanctuary. The scrollsare
kept in the Ark of the Covenantwhich remains closedwhen the Torah is not being read.
Congregants usually sit during the service but they stand in respect when the Ark is
opened. Oniy an honored few are called up to the bima (podium) to read from the Torah.
In some qinagoguesthe nnen wear a covering on their head and a prayer shawl during
worship as an additional sign of respect. Over the Ark is a continuous light called the
Eternal Flame syrrbolizing the eternai covenant of God with the Jervishpeople.
The worship service is divicieciinio iour parTs. The firsr part praises God, the seconci
speaksof God's love and how the cornmunitymust respondin covenant. The third section
asks for God's blessings.The fourth element of the serviceis a time for each to be alone
in their private prayersto God. Many worship servicesinclude a reading from the Torah.
The sacred languageof Judaisrnis Hebrew. Many prayerscontinue to be tau_shtto the
children in Hebrew and are quickly recalledwhen the prayer is announced. The prayer
named the Sh'ma is often called the watchwordof the Jervishreligion. This pravercalls
Jews to declare God's eternal and supreme name and renew their covenant with God
through demonstrationsof love and respect. The Sh'ma includes versesfrom, among
others, Deuteronomy 6:1-9; Ll:t3-27, but is best known by its first verse, "Hear O Israel,
the Lord is Our God. the Lord is One".
VISITING A SYNAGOGUE
At the front of the sanctuaryin the very cenreris the
ARK usuallycoveredby au embroideredcurtaiu. The ARK
and the curtain derive from the Tabernacleas describedin
Exodus26:31-34.Insidethe ARK reposeTorah Scrolls.
ARK
BARIBAT lvtITZvAIl
BAREAT
MITZVAII
celebrares the
eutrance of children into the aduit religious commuuity.
Through this rinral, the commuuity passeson the traditions,
prayers and Torah revered by generations to yet another
generation. The study of Hebrew, history, holidays,prayersand
especially Torah is required for barhat mitarah. This is
traditionally the first time a person reads from the Torah in
front of ihe whole congregation. The Torah is hanciecifrour
the oldest geueration to the child qrrrboiizing the continuity of
the faith, the commuuity and individual commitment. In
addition, the chiid nust make a speechto showthat he/shehas
absorbed the lessons and is .prepared to take individual
responsibiiifywithin the communiry. Thus the commitn:entsof
tbe commuuiqvand the individual are renewed in the contelit
of the qrnagogue.
&{AH
The BIlv{AH is the raised platform in front of the pews,
from which the service is conducted. A large tabie usually
standson one side,where the Torah is placed when it is read
aloud, whiie a lectern on the other side is maintained for the
rabbi to use as a pulpit
MENORAH
Most syragogges have a candelabrun: as part of
their decor. It is reminiscent of the giant seven-branched
candlestickthat was in the Holy Temple and denoteslight and
iife irelf. The MENORAIi is a very aucienr iewish qnnboi,
found ou tombstones and in qilagogues dating back many
cenhrries. The special MENORAI{ for Hannukah ritual is
made up of nine branches-ouefor each of the eight nightsof
the festival. The ninth candle, the shamash,is used to light the
others.
This the Hebrew term meaninsthe "Shield
of David" applied to the figure of the six-pointedstar, or two
interlaced equilateral triangles- It has become an accepted
qfnbol of Judaism. Although archeologicaldiscoverieshave
traced its use as far back as the 3rd century C.E. in the
Capernaum Syuagogue,it did not come into general useas a
decorationuntil the 19th cenfurv.
I\4AGEN DAVID
I.IER TA.IVID
NER TAIVID is the EternalLight,the smallred
lamp that is usuallyseenabove the Ark in most syuasogpes
and
that is supposedto be lit at all rimes. It symbolizesthe faith of
the Jewish people and is a reminder of the menorah in the
Temple.
RABBI
The terur literaily trreans "my trraster" and has been in
use for about 2000 years. Most qrnagogues today have a
RABBI who is the spiritual leader of the congregation,leading
the services,delivering sennons,officiating at weddings,etc. AJI
modern RABBIS are ordained by recogaizedseminaries,where
they pursue both Jewish and secular snrdies.
TABLETS OF TI{E LAW
*d
The TABLETS OF mE
IAW or TABLES OF TIIE LAW are the two stone tablets of
covenant or testimouy on which Moses inscribed the Ten
Commandmentsgiven to the Israelitesat Mount Sinai. To this
day they are a distinctive qrmbol of the Torah and are seen in
every qmagogue at the upper part of the Ark. The Ten
Commandments are customarily represented by the first two
Hebrew words of each Commandment.
Lryl
frg
thaair
xa/fa
g-,
TORAI{ SCROLL
The TORAH SCROLL is a handwritten
version of the Torah, of the Five Books of Moses, inscribedon
parchment by a speciallytrained person called a sofer, a scribe.
The SCROLL is writteu in Hebrew. It is taken from the Ark
for public reading on Sabbath, holidays, fast days, and on
Mondays and Thursdays.
YAD
A YAD is a pointerusedby the Torah readerto help
with the reading. It is usuallyin the form of a handwith the
forefingerextended-