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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.
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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
All Synagogues contain . . . • AronKodesh – 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. • NerTamid – “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.
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