Synagogue Flashcards
3 featutes of a synagogue?
- Prayer
- Learn
- Do
Why is praying in a synagogue important? [3]
- Builds relationship with God
- Set prayers – 3 types a day because there were sacrifices at the temple 3 times a day
- Jews should be together when they pray
What do Jews learn in a synagogue? [4]
• Learn about the word of God
• Teaches children Hebrew so they can understand what God wants of them when they are older
• Learn about festivals, Jewish history and culture
• Rabbi is the teacher – they know the law as it takes 7 years to qualify
- Do
How do synagogues bring Jews together? [3]
- Boxes for Jews to give donations
- Community comes together to volunteer and do charity work
- Lots of clubs for Jews to socialise
Why were synagogues formed? [3]
- Babylonians destroyed the Temple and exiled the Jews because they continued breaking the covenant
- So they needed to assemble, to repent and pray to God and to retain their identity.
- These buildings did not replace the temple but were a reminder of what they lost and hoped God would return if they were ever forgiven
What had the Jerusalem Temple previously housed?
Ark of the Covenant
What did the Holy of Holies contain?
Contains the Ark
Why was there a curtain infront of the Holy of Holies?
Curtain is there to respect the Ark as it contains the word of God. Shows it is so important and holy it has to be separated to be respected
Why was there an alter of incense/incense?
The incense was used to create a holy atmosphere in the temple and make is more special than other temples
For Orthodox what is the purpose of the synagogues?
Reminder of Temple
In an Orthodox synagogue what is the use of a central bimah? [3]
(i) Replaces altar of incense in Temple
(ii) Re-enactment of Mt. Sinai
(iii) Reading of Sefer Torah
In an Orthodox synagogue what is the seating like? [2]
Men sit in pews round the bimah, closest to the Holy Ark (Aron Hakodesh), women sit separately – so ‘women don’t distract men during the minyan’
In an Orthodox synagogue what are the services like? [5]
- 3 minyans per day, 10 men minimum - minyan
- Women welcome to pray as observers
- Long services
- Prayers in Hebrew
- Male rabbis
For a Reform Jew what is the purpose of the synagogues?
Replacement of Temple – believe that the temple will not be rebuilt in Jerusalem because there is no messiah that will reunite Jews and rebuild it
Where is the Bimah in a reform synagogue and its use?
Bimah at the front:
Reading of Sefer Torah
In an Reform synagogue what is the seating like? [2]
Mixed seating, facing the front – due to Jews believing in gender equality
In an Orthodox synagogue what are the services like? [4]
- No minyans : Shabbat and festival services only
- Men and/or women lead services
- Prayers in Hebrew and English (about 50:50)
- Shorter services
What is the Aron Hakodesh?
Made in the desert as a box so that the Ten Commandments and mitzvot could be carried through the desert to the promised land.
Now a cupboard kept higher that the rest of the synagogue to show that God is on a higher level
What are the 5 books in the Sefer Torah?
Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy
How is the Sefer Torah read?
Read right to left in Hebrew with a yad
How is the Sefer Torah made?
When being written it is copied from other Torah’s, hand-written, checked 3 times, a person with a soul imbued life into it. When writing, if a mistake is made, the parchment is buried
When must a Sefer Torah be written?
In worship
When the Rabbi reads the Torah what is it re-enacting?
Rabbi reads the Torah on a raised structure to re-enact Moses on Mount Sinai – This shows Jews now are just as relevant/important inn keeping the mitzvot/culture as the Jews before
What is the Ner Tamid and what does it symbolise?
- Above the ark
- Light hangs in front of the Ark to symbolise that God is especially present in the Torah/Ark – not a symbol of God being omnipresent
