Book 3 - Worship Flashcards
What is the main place of Jewish worship
the Home
- Synagogue is a public place of worship, unites small communities of Jews
Origins of the Synagogue
- Meeting or Assembly
- Capativity in Babylon - Jewish prayers standardized and worship anywhere
- Jews meet wherever they were to pray
- Synagogues became centre of life, led by Rabbi - After Destruction of the 2nd Temple
Purpose of the Synagogue
- Centres for Jews in the diaspora
- Place where Jews met for worship (Bet ha tefilla) and study (Bet ha midrash)
- Cheder school for children to learn Judaism and Hebrew
Describe Synagogue Architecture
- Usually plain (not images of God -idols)
- Entrance hall faces Jerusalem (Ark on the wall facing Jerusalem)
Synagogue and Symbols of Judaism
Magen David (star of David)
- Hexagram
- Israel’s flag
Menorah (7 branched candlestick)
- Described in Exodus
- Used outside the Ark of the Covenant and in the Temple
- Could be carved outside a synagogue or on the Aron Ha Kodesh
Describe the Sefer Torah (Torah scroll)
- God revealed in his Word (to Moses)
- Word is sacred
- Torah kept in a handwritten document scroll (inside Aron Ha Kodesh)
- 2 Wooden rollers (etz chaim) - Trees of Life
Describe the Aron Ha-Kodesh (Ark)
- Holy ark, holiest place of Snagogue
- Ornate, covered by curtain
- Focal point of the Synagogue
- On the Wall facing Jerusalem
- Reminiscent of Ark of Covenant
Describe Ner Tamid (eternal light), Bimah (reading desk) and Yad
- Above the Aron Ha Kodesh
- Symbolises the Eternal flame that burnt outside the ark in the desert and in the Temple
Bimah
- Raised platform the Sefer Torah is read from
- Orthodox (faces the Ark)
- Reformed (faces the people)
- Sefer Torah taken from Ark, processed around, read and returned to the Ark
Yad
- A Torah pointer
- Out of respect for the Torah
- Safeguard the Parchment
Describe a Rabbi
- Means “My Master”
- Teacher of the Torah (studied it)
- Much like Imam, leads in worship and gives sermons, gives advice, represents community
- Not a Priest
- Can only not be a women in Orthodox
Describe a Chazan/Cantor
- Leads prayers and singing
- Professional musician
- Knowledge of scripture and prayers
- Can only not be a women in Orthodox
What is contained in the Siddur
- Order of Service
- Praters from the Tenakh and Talmud
What is a Minyan
- Required for a public prayer service
- 10 Adult males (have gone through their Bar Mitzvah)
Description and reason why it is worn Kipppah, Yamulkah or Capel
- Skull cap made of anything
- In the Tenakh, covering head is a sign of mourning
- In the Talmud, covering head show’s respect for God
- “Divine presence is always over my head”
- Orthodox always wear the Kippah, and others only at times of prayer
Description and reason why it is worn
Tefillin or Phylacteries
- Shema enclosed in 2 black leather boxes with thong
- Arm-tefillin (shel yad), upper arm, strapped around the arm, hand and fingers
- Head-tefillin (shel rosh), on forehead
- Deuteronomy (God says to his people to love him, obey him and remember their liberation)
- Tefillin is the words of God in their heart and soul, binded on their hand and forehead
Description and reason why it is worn
Tallit
- Prayer shawl made usually of wool
- Reminds Jews of God’s commandments
- Added fringes to usual outer cloak (commandments)
- Fringes (Tzizit), numbers 600, fringes make 8 strands, added to 5 knots. 613 Mitzvot, in the Torah
- Worn for morning prayer and all prayers at Yom Kippur, and children on their Bar Mitzvah
- Buried in tallit with the fringes cut, not bound by the Mitzvot
