The
synagogue is the Jewish equivalent of a
church, more or less. It is the center of
the Jewish religious community: a place of
prayer, study and education, social and
charitable work, as well as a social center.
Throughout this site, I have used the word
"synagogue," but there are actually several
different terms for a Jewish "church," and
you can tell a lot about people by the terms
they use.
The Hebrew term is beit k'nesset (literally,
House of Assembly), although you will rarely
hear this term used in conversation in
English.
The
Orthodox and
Chasidim typically use the word "shul,"
which is
Yiddish. The word is derived from a
German word meaning "school," and emphasizes
the synagogue's role as a place of study.
Conservative Jews usually use the word
"synagogue," which is actually a Greek
translation of Beit K'nesset and means
"place of assembly" (it's related to the
word "synod").
Reform Jews use the word "temple,"
because they consider every one of their
meeting places to be equivalent to, or a
replacement for,
The Temple.
The use of the word "temple" to describe
modern houses of prayer offends some
traditional Jews, because it trivializes the
importance of The Temple. The word "shul,"
on the other hand, is unfamiliar to many
modern Jews. When in doubt, the word
"synagogue" is the best bet, because
everyone knows what it means, and I've never
known anyone to be offended by it.
At a minimum, a synagogue is a beit tefilah,
a house of
prayer. It is the place where Jews come
together for community
prayer services. Jews can satisfy the
obligations of daily prayer by praying
anywhere; however, there are certain prayers
that can only be said in the presence of a
minyan (a quorum of 10 adult men), and
tradition teaches that there is more merit
to praying with a group than there is in
praying alone. The sanctity of the synagogue
for this purpose is second only to
The Temple. In fact, in rabbinical
literature, the synagogue is sometimes
referred to as the "little Temple."
A synagogue is usually also a beit midrash,
a house of study. Contrary to popular
belief, Jewish education does not end at the
age of
bar mitzvah. For the observant Jew, the
study of sacred texts is a life-long task.
Thus, a synagogue normally has a
well-stocked library of sacred Jewish texts
for members of the community to study. It is
also the place where children receive their
basic religious education.
Most synagogues also have a social hall for
religious and non-religious activities. The
synagogue often functions as a sort of town
hall where matters of importance to the
community can be discussed.
In addition, the synagogue functions as a
social welfare agency, collecting and
dispensing money and other items for the aid
of the poor and needy within the community.
Synagogues are generally run by a board of
directors composed of lay people. They
manage and maintain the synagogue and its
activities, and hire a
rabbi for the community. It is worth
noting that a synagogue can exist without a
rabbi: religious services can be, and often
are, conducted by lay people in whole or in
part. It is not unusual for a synagogue to
be without a rabbi, at least temporarily.
However, the rabbi is a valuable member of
the community, providing leadership,
guidance and education.
Synagogues do not pass around collection
plates during services, as many churches do.
This is largely because Jewish law prohibits
carrying money on
holidays and
Shabbat.
Tzedakah (donation) is routinely
collected at weekday morning services, but
this money is usually given to charity, not
to the synagogue itself. Instead, synagogues
are financed through membership dues paid
annually, through voluntary donations,
through the purchase of reserved seats for
services on
Rosh Hashanah and
Yom Kippur (the holidays when the
synagogue is most crowded), and through the
purchase of various types of memorial
plaques. It is important to note, however,
that you do not have to be a member of a
synagogue in order to worship there. If you
plan to worship at a synagogue regularly and
you have the financial means, you should
certainly pay your dues to cover your fair
share of the synagogue's costs, but no
synagogue checks membership cards at the
door (except possibly on the High Holidays
mentioned above, if there aren't enough
seats for everyone).
Synagogues are, for the most part,
independent community organizations. In the
United States, at least, individual
synagogues do not answer to any central
authority. There are central organizations
for the various
movements of Judaism, and synagogues are
often affiliated with these organizations,
but these organizations have no real power
over individual synagogues.
The portion of the synagogue where
prayer services are performed is
commonly called the sanctuary. Synagogues in
the United States are generally designed so
that the front of the sanctuary is on the
side towards Jerusalem, which is the
direction that we are supposed to face when
reciting certain prayers.
Probably
the most important feature of the sanctuary
is the Ark, a cabinet or recession in the
wall that holds the
Torah scrolls. The Ark is also called
the Aron Kodesh ("holy cabinet"), and I was
once told that the term "ark" is an acrostic
of "aron kodesh," although someone else told
me that "ark" is just an old word for a
chest. In any case, the word has no relation
to Noah's Ark, which is the word "teyvat" in
Hebrew.
The Ark is generally placed in the front of
the room; that is, on the side towards
Jerusalem. The Ark has doors as well as an
inner curtain called a parokhet. This
curtain is in imitation of the curtain in
the Sanctuary in The Temple, and is named
for it. During certain prayers, the doors
and/or curtain of the Ark may be opened or
closed. Opening or closing the doors or
curtain is performed by a member of the
congregation, and is considered an honor.
All congregants stand when the Ark is open.
In front of and slightly above the Ark, you
will find the ner tamid, the Eternal Lamp.
This lamp symbolizes the commandment to keep
a light burning in the Tabernacle outside of
the curtain surrounding the Ark of the
Covenant. (Ex. 27:20-21).
In
addition to the ner tamid, you may find a
menorah (candelabrum) in many
synagogues, symbolizing the menorah in the
Temple. The menorah in the synagogue will
generally have six or eight branches instead
of the Temple menorah's seven, because exact
duplication of the Temple's ritual items is
improper.
In the center of the room or in the front
you will find a pedestal called the bimah.
The Torah scrolls are placed on the bimah
when they are read. The bimah is also
sometimes used as a podium for leading
services. There is an additional, lower
lectern in some synagogues called an amud.
In
Orthodox synagogues, you will also find
a separate section where the women sit. This
may be on an upper floor balcony, or in the
back of the room, or on the side of the
room, separated from the men's section by a
wall or curtain called a mechitzah. Men are
not permitted to pray in the presence of
women, because they are supposed to have
their minds on their prayers, not on pretty
girls. See
The Role of Women in the Synagogue for
details.
If you are interested in finding an Orthodox
synagogue or minyan (prayer group) in your
area, check out
Go Daven,
a searchable worldwide database of Orthodox
minyans. Just tell them where you want to
daven (pray), and they'll find you an
Orthodox minyan, complete with service times
and even a link to a map!
Chabad,
a division of the Lubavitcher
Chasidic movement, also has a good
searchable directory of their prayer and
learning centers. Although Chabad is
strictly and uncompromisingly Orthodox, they
are very open to those at a lower level of
observance who are interested in learning.
If you would prefer a
Conservative synagogue, try the USCJ's
Find a Synagogue page. If you prefer
Reform, try the UAHC's
Directory of Congregations. For
Reconstructionist synagogues, try the
JRF's directory of
Reconstructionist Congregations and Havurot.
Non-Jews are always welcome to attend
services in a synagogue, so long as they
behave as proper guests. Proselytizing and
"witnessing" to the congregation are not
proper guest behavior. Would you walk into a
stranger's house and criticize the decor?
But we always welcome non-Jews who come to
synagogue out of genuine curiosity, interest
in the service or simply to join a friend in
celebration of a Jewish event.
When going to a synagogue, you should dress
as you would for church: nicely, formally,
and modestly. A man should wear a
yarmulke (skullcap) if Jewish men in the
congregation do so; yarmulkes are available
at the entrance for those who do not have
one. In some synagogues, married women
should also wear a head covering. A piece of
lace sometimes called a "chapel hat" is
generally provided for this purpose in
synagogues where this is required. Non-Jews
should not, however, wear a
tallit (prayer shawl) or
tefillin, because these items are signs
of our obligation to observe
Jewish law.
If you are in an
Orthodox synagogue, be careful to sit in
the right section: men and women are seated
separately in an Orthodox synagogue. See
The Role of Women in the Synagogue for
details.
During services, non-Jews can follow along
with the English, which is normally printed
side-by-side with the Hebrew in the
prayerbook. You may join in with as much or
as little of the prayer service as you feel
comfortable participating in. You may wish
to review
Jewish Liturgy before attending the
service, to gain a better understanding of
what is going on.
Non-Jews should stand whenever the Ark is
open and when the
Torah is carried to or from the Ark, as
a sign of respect for the Torah and for
G-d. At any other time where worshippers
stand, non-Jews may stand or sit.
When we speak of The Temple, we speak of the
place in Jerusalem that was the center of
Jewish worship from the time of Solomon to
its destruction by the Romans in 70
C.E. This was the one and only place
where
sacrifices and certain other religious
rituals were performed. It was partially
destroyed at the time of the Babylonian
Exile and rebuilt. The rebuilt temple was
known as the Second Temple. The famous
"Wailing Wall" (known to Jews as the Western
Wall or in Hebrew, the Kotel) is the remains
of the western retaining wall of the hill
that the Temple was built on. It is as close
to the site of the original Sanctuary as
Jews can go today. You can see a live
picture of the Kotel and learn about it at
KotelCam. The Temple was located on a
platform above and behind this wall.
Today, the site of The Temple is occupied by
the Dome of the Rock (a Muslim shrine for
pilgrims) and the Al-Aqsa Mosque (a Muslim
house of prayer). The Dome of the Rock is
the gold-domed building that figures
prominently in most pictures of Jerusalem.
Traditional Jews believe that The Temple
will be rebuilt when the
Mashiach (Messiah) comes. They eagerly
await that day and pray for it continually.
Modern Jews, on the other hand, reject the
idea of rebuilding the Temple and resuming
sacrifices. They call their houses of
prayer "temples," believing that such houses
of worship are the only temples we need, the
only temples we will ever have, and are
equivalent to the Temple in Jerusalem. This
idea is very offensive to some traditional
Jews, which is why you should be very
careful when using the word Temple to
describe a Jewish place of worship.
