Synagogue & Worship This booklet is divided into these sections: Names of the synagogue History of the synagogue Features of a synagogue including: Design, Artefacts, The significance of the Ark, the Bimah, the lack of representation of G-d, the Ner Tamid and the Mikveh The structure of the synagogue service Mikveh Worship in the home You also need to be aware of the following (which is also in this booklet) The nature and importance of the Torah readings, other readings, prayers and sermons The connection between the synagogue and the Temple Issues related to worship and the synagogue, including the length and structure of synagogue services and different uses of Hebrew in the service Common and divergent emphases placed on the features of a synagogue by different Jewish groups, including separating women and men in an Orthodox synagogue Different interpretations and emphases given to sources of wisdom and authority by different Jewish groups
Names for a synagogue Shul (from the Yiddish meaning school) Synagogue (from the Greek meaning Place of assembly/gathering) Bet Knesset (Hebrew meaning House of assembly/gathering) Temple (in non-orthodox) How do these names reflect the role a Synagogue plays in the Jewish community? How did synagogues come about? Synagogues have not always been around. They began to play an important part in Jewish life after the destruction of the first Temple and the exile that followed. Can you think why it was the destruction of the first Temple and the exile that made Synagogues become important in Jewish life?
Features of a synagogue We have already mentioned that the synagogue replaced the Temple, so it makes sense that everything in the synagogue has a connection to the Temple. Below are listed some of the things that were in the Temple. Can you think of their equivalencies in the synagogue? In the Temple there was an Altar where the sacrifices were offered up In a Shul there is a instead In the Temple there was an Ark that contained various items of religious importance e.g. the original 10 commandments In a Shul there is a instead In the Temple there was a Curtain that separated the Holy area from the Holy of holies area. In a Shul there is a instead In the Temple there were continually burning incense on an altar In a Shul there is a instead There are other elements of a synagogue that might not be directly connected to the Temple: Lack of representations of G-d. There are no images of G-d to be found anywhere in a synagogue. This is because the second of the 10 commandments is not to have any images of G-d (since G-d is omnipresent anyway He cannot be represented in a picture). Separate seating (in Orthodox Synagogues) Judaism places great emphasis on modesty in the relationships between men and women. Therefore, it would be improper for men and women to sit together in a place where people are supposed to focus only on their relationship with G-d.
For this reason, men and women are seated separately.
Synagogue services When do Jews pray? Judaism expects men to pray three times a day on weekdays in formal prayers. These prayers will usually take place in a synagogue. These three times are related to the three founding fathers of the Jewish religion but are also directly related to the Temple: Shacharit (morning) to replace the daily sacrifice that was offered in the morning in the Temple Mincha (afternoon) - to replace the daily sacrifice that was offered in towards the evening in the Temple Ma ariv to replace the evening sacrifice in the Temple that stretched into the night At other times there is an additional service (called Musaf meaning extra ). These take place on holy days such as Shabbat, Rosh Chodesh (new Jewish month), and festivals. Generally, the formal prayers take place in a synagogue and are called communal prayers. They take place with a minyan which is a group of ten men or more (in Orthodox Judaism a man is any male aged 13 or older. This idea varies with non- Orthodox Judaism). Some prayers can only be said with a minyan. If it is not possible to pray with a minyan, then it is possible to pray individually. This does not have the same spiritual effect as communal prayer but it is acceptable nonetheless. Not all prayers can be said without a minyan. Informal prayer i.e. prayers that are said as the need arises e.g. blessings before or after food can be said individually. The structure of an Orthodox prayer service The Jewish prayers and services have evolved over time, but they do have things in common. All prayer services will: Be said in Hebrew. This is known as lashon Hakodesh meaning the holy language and is the language that the prayers were originally composed in. If someone does not understand Hebrew, it is possible to pray most prayers in a language they do understand. (In non-orthodox synagogues, and increased amount or all prayers will be said in the vernacular (mother tongue)) Face Mizrach (Easterly). This is the direction towards Jerusalem and reminds us yet again of the Temple that stood there.
The Amidah - this is the central prayer that is said standing. It includes brachot praising and thanking G-d and, on weekdays, brachot that request things from G- d. The Amidah is so important that it is repeated on behalf of those that cannot read Hebrew. Some other important prayers that are included at various times are: The Shema (said in the morning and evening) which reinforces the Jewish belief in one G-d Various Psalms e.g. Psalm of the day that corresponds to the Psalm sung that day in the Temple Kaddish (prayer for the soul of a recently deceased family member) There are other things that are not prayers that are nevertheless included in some services. These are: Readings from the Torah: Every Shabbat morning. The Torah is split into portions so that the entire Torah can be read over the course of a year. Every Shabbat afternoon, Monday morning and Thursday morning. This is to ensure that the Jewish people do not go more than three days without hearing the Torah being read publicly. Every festival. The Torah reading related to that festival is read A Haftorah is read on Shabbat mornings and festivals after the Torah reading Sermons Sometimes the Rabbi of the synagogue will take the opportunity to speak to the congregation when it is worshipping together. This usually takes place on a Shabbat or festival morning. The subject of the sermon is usually related to the Torah reading and may be connected to encouraging the community to behave in a related way.
The Mikveh Being spiritually pure Part of prayer worship is to ensure that you are spiritually clean before praying. Being spiritually impure does not mean being physically unclean, or that there is something wrong with the person. It just means that there is a spiritual barrier between them and G-d that needs to be removed before doing certain mitzvot. People can become spiritually impure in many different ways. The most common nowadays are: Being near, or coming into contact with, a dead body Menstruation Like much about synagogue and prayer, this idea relates back to the Temple. People had to be spiritually pure before they could worship there. Nowadays, Orthodox Jews will use a mikveh to ensure that they are spiritually pure before performing certain mitzvot. What is a mikveh? A mikveh is a body of natural water that can be used to immerse in. It can be a natural gathering e.g. sea, river, lake or stream, or, as is mostly used nowadays, a human-made building that uses collected natural water. A person who uses the mikveh will ensure that they are physically clean prior to going to the mikveh. They will then dip into the mikveh so that the water completely covers their body (a person will be fully unclothed when they go into a mikveh). Obviously, men and women do not use the same mikveh. Women s mikva ot (plural of mikveh) may be fairly luxurious and offer an opportunity for a woman to have some important spiritual me-time.
Note: As non-orthodox groups (such as Reform) do not believe in a future Temple being rebuilt, they do not see anything that is ritually connected to the Temple as essential nowadays. For this reason, they may not see it as necessary to use a mikveh in the modern world.
Worship in the home Worship is not contained just in the synagogue. Indeed, Judaism insists that it is possible for Jews to worship G-d constantly, and especially in the home. Types of worship in the home Shabbat & Festivals Shabbat is celebrated in the home as much as in the synagogue: Lighting candles this provides light in the home and is representative of the celebration of Shabbat in two ways 3 Family meals Judaism has a built-in time for family members to re-connect to each other. This has become increasingly important in our busy modern lives Taharat Hamishpacha These are the laws that govern the physical relationship between husband and wife. This is especially connected to the mikveh (see above). Kashrut Refer to separate notes on this topic
Useful links http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/worship/synagogue_1.shtml http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/rs/relationships/juloveandsexrev1.shtml http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/holydays/sabbath.shtml http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zqdjrdm