Information AboutSynagogue |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT SYNAGOGUE | |
| synagogues | |
|
A synagogue (from , Transliterated ''synagogē'', "assembly"; '''beit knesset''', "house of assembly"; or '''beit tefila''', "house of prayer", '''shul'''; , '''esnoga''') is a Jew ish house of worship. Synagogues usually have a large hall for prayer (the main sanctuary), smaller rooms for study, and sometimes a social hall and offices. Some have a separate room for Torah Study , called the '' Beit Midrash '' - בית מדרש ("House of Study"). Many Orthodox and Conservative Jews in English-speaking countries use the Yiddish term "shul." The use of "synagogue" is reserved for formal occasions. Spanish And Portuguese Jews call the synagogue an ''esnoga.'' Persian Jews and Karaite Jews use the term '' Kenesa '', which is derived from Aramaic . Reform and Conservative congregations in the United States sometimes use the word "temple." HISTORY Before the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, communal prayers centered around the '' Korban ot'' ("sacrificial offerings") brought by the '' Kohanim '' ("Jewish priests") in the Holy Temple . The all-day Yom Kippur service, in fact, was an event in which the congregation both observed the movements of the ''kohen gadol'' ("Jewish high priest") as he offered the day's sacrifices and prayed for his success. The destructions of Solomon's Temple , and later the Second Temple, and the dispersion of the Jews into the Jewish Diaspora , threatened the nation's focus and unity. At the time of the Babylonian Captivity the Men Of The Great Assembly began the process of formalizing and standardizing Jewish services and prayers that would not depend on the functioning of the Temple in Jerusalem. Rabbi Yohanan Ben Zakkai , one of the leaders at the end of the Second Temple era, promulgated the idea of creating individual houses of worship in whatever locale Jews found themselves. This contributed to the concept of "portable Judaism," which was part of what contributed to the saving of the Jewish people by maintaining a unique identity and way of worship, according to many historians. Thus, even now, whenever any group of ten men comes together, they form a Minyan , and are eligible to conduct public prayer services, usually in a synagogue. In ''kloiz'' built by Nathan Of Breslov in the city of Uman, Ukraine in 1834. Today, this ''kloiz'' accommodates worshippers in the annual Breslover Rosh Hashana Kibbutz (prayer gathering). DESIGN The architectural shapes and interior designs of synagogues vary greatly. Other local religious buildings and national culture usually influence synagogue architecture. Traditional and Orthodox synagogues Orthodox Judaism has considered synagogue construction over the last two thousand years as following the outlines of the original Tabernacle , which was also the outline for the temples in Jerusalem. The Orthodox synagogue usually contains the following features:
A synagogue may be decorated with artwork, but in the Rabbinic and Orthodox tradition, three-dimensional sculptures and depictions of the human body are not allowed, as these are considered akin to idolatry. Synagogue windows are sometimes curved at the top and squared at the bottom, recalling the popular depiction of the shape of the ''Lukhot'' (Tablets of the Law) which Moses received from God at Mount Sinai . There is also a tradition to install twelve windows around the main sanctuary to recall the Twelve Tribes of Israel, underscoring the importance of unity and brotherhood as a result of the communal prayers. in Košice , Slovakia ]] Until the 19th century, the synagogue interior was laid out with both a spiritual and a communal focus. In an Ashkenazi synagogue, all seats faced the ''aron kodesh'' (Ark) in which the Torah scrolls were housed. In a Sephardi synagogue, seats were arranged around the perimeter of the sanctuary, but when the worshippers stood up to pray, everyone faced the Ark. The Torah was read on a reader's table located in the exact center of each sanctuary, echoing the manner in which the Children Of Israel stood around Mount Sinai when they received the Torah. The leader of the prayer service, the ''Hazzan'', stood at his own lectern or table, facing the Ark. Another related place of worship which is often a small synagogue is the '' Shtiebel '' (שטיבל, pl. ''shtiebelekh'' or ''shtiebels'', Yiddish for "little house") that is frequently used by and preferred by Hasidic and Haredi Jews. A ''shtiebel'' may sometimes be a room in the private home of a Hasidic Rebbe , or a place of business which is set aside for the express purpose of prayer. It may or may not offer the communal services of a synagogue. In the US, there are well over 1200 Orthodox congregations, including over 1000 of which are affiliated with the Orthodox Union (OU), and 150 with the National Council Of Young Israel , as well as a great number associated with Agudath Yisrael , a widespread movement often identified with "black-hatter" Orthodox, especially Chassidim . Reform synagogues and temples The to accompany the prayers (even on Shabbat —when musical instruments are proscribed by halakha), a choir to accompany the ''Hazzan'', and vestments for the synagogue rabbi to wear {Link without Title} . ]] In following decades, the central reader's table, the Bimah , was moved to the front of the Reform sanctuary—previously unheard-of in Orthodox synagogues. The rabbi now delivered his Sermon from the front, much as the Christian Priest s delivered their sermons in a church. Bar Mitzvah ceremonies, held at age 13, were followed up with "confirmation" ceremonies at age 16/17. Following the teaching of Rabbi Mordechai Kaplan , Bat Mitzvah ceremonies were introduced for girls. The synagogue was renamed a "temple," to emphasize that the movement no longer looked forward to the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem. With the emigration of German Reform Jews to America in the mid-nineteenth century, the synagogue exterior also changed. The wealthy German Jewish immigrants built grandiose temples modeled after churches. Temple Emanu-El , the oldest Reform congregation (founded in New York City in 1845), constructed an imposing Moorish -style building, with towering limestone walls, on Fifth Avenue in 1929. The architecture rivaled the design of the great Cathedral s of Europe. Inside, arched walls and Tiffany and Stained-glass windows accentuated the 2,500-seat main sanctuary and a smaller. Reform temples built in other American cities displayed Romanesque , Byzantine , and other grand, church-like designs. As of 2005, the Reform movement in the US encompassed approximately 900 congregations. Conservative synagogues The Conservative movement, which also developed in Europe and America in the 1800s, rejected Reform as being too liberal and Orthodoxy as being too outdated. However, its synagogue design is not consistent. Sometimes, Conservative synagogues resemble Reform temples—complete with organ. Other times they more closely resemble Orthodox synagogues, but without a Mechitza , the dividing barrier between men and women. There are approximately 750 Conservative synagogues in the US today. Reconstructionist synagogues The Reconstructionist Movement , which arose in America in the latter half of the 20th century, counts less than 100 synagogues worldwide. In keeping with a Reconstructionist Jewish spirit of liberalism, Reconstructionist synagogues are not as traditionalist as Conservative Judaism in the design of the synagogue and do not use the Mechitza . The congregation decides communally how much traditional Judaic imagery and symbols are appropriate. Reconstructionist Jews generally do not call their houses of worship "temples", as Reform Jews often do. FAMOUS SYNAGOGUES
Images of selected famous synagogues |
|
|