Essay On Synagogue

The Place of Jewish Prayer As with every religion, people faithful towards a particular deity need a place to worship and pray to their god. Catholics have the church, Muslims have a mosque, and Jews have, what is called, a synagogue. The synagogue is a building where Jews can unite and praise their god. It is also a place for study and education ("Synagogue | Judaism."). Throughout the history of the religion, this communal building had many functions crucial to the tasks of Judaism. Synagogues are a specifically manufactured building that has embedded itself into the Jewish culture and the origin of them dates to a few hundred years before the birth of Jesus Christ ("Synagogue | Judaism.”). The first real evidence of Synagogues suggests that they first arrived into Judaism around the 3rd Century B.C.E. ("Synagogue | Judaism."). “Some scholars think that the destruction of Solomon’s Temple in 586 bce gave rise to synagogues after private homes were temporarily used for public worship and religious instruction,” say the editors of The Editors of Encyclopædia Britannica …show more content…
In most orthodox Jewish establishments, the women and the men are separated ("Synagogue Architecture." ). One feature of a synagogue is the Holy Ark located on the eastern wall ("Synagogue Architecture."). This is where the Torah scrolls are held and it is referred to as the “aron ha-kodesh” in Jewish culture ("Synagogue Architecture."). The amud in the synagogue is where the Jews sit and pray; it faces the Holy Ark ("Synagogue Architecture."). There is also a stage where the scrolls are read from and this is called the bima a tiba ("Synagogue Architecture."). Like a Catholic church, a candle is burnt and stays lit forever to signify eternal light in the religion ("Synagogue Architecture."). All of these architectural attributes have significance and aid the Jews to fulfill their religious