Synagogues, Shuls and Temples
Level: Basic |
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. 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
that Temple, and 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
Moshiach (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.
© Copyright 5756-5762 (1995-2001), Tracey
R Rich
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