The Synagogue:
place for worship, study and socializing
The Sanctuary (worship
space):
Structure:
oriented toward Jerusalem, raised platform up front, ark to house Torah
scrolls (several), eternal flame above ark, lectern or central reading
platform for reading of Torah. Torah is the central element of focus in
the sanctuary
The people:
traditional communal prayer service must have a minyan of ten adult
Jewish males (Bar Mitzvah age and up), worship led by Rabbi or by
any other adult male (female OK in more liberal synagogues), may have a cantor
as well to chant blessings and lead singing of hymns (many taken from
Psalms and other poetics found in scripture)
Communal prayer
on Sabbath (evening, morning and closing), holidays and weekdays (Orthodox
pray three times a day: morning, afternoon and evening); duration and
style of worship varies depending upon level of practice)
Content of worship:
prayers, readings, chanting, hymn singing by leader or both leader and
congregation in unison or responsively, passages drawn from scripture and
from poetic expressions written hundreds of years ago and more recently, Hebrew
language is used to greater or lesser degree depending upon synagogue.
Periodically, there will be standing for special prayers and readings.
The Torah:
During a Torah service (Saturday mornings and specified Holidays), special
blessings are offered, the scroll is ceremoniously carried and cared for
as it is presented for reading, a specified portion of Torah is read for
each Sabbath and holiday. This is the occasion that the Bar Mitzvah
celebrant has prepared years for: to take his or her adult responsibility
as a member of the faith. At other times during other worship services,
the ark will simply be opened as the people stand to honor the Torah.
Synagogue also contains
classrooms and a library for educational programs: religious
("Sunday") school and Hebrew classes for children from preschool
through high school age, usually also adult education classes and/or
seminars; Orthodox have Hebrew day (parochial) schools (Yeshivas)
Synagogue also serves
as a social and cultural center with fellowship hall or auditorium
and kitchen and sometimes also a more formal ballroom and catering service
for such events as Bar Mitzvah and marriage celebrations:
Brotherhood and
Sisterhood organizations often sponsor cultural programs, charitable
projects, and other special events
Havorot
:
small, intimate fellowship groups gather based on mutual interest (study
groups, leisure activities, family oriented groups, etc.)
Each synagogue is an
independent democratic community. The members choose and pay their own Rabbi
and other staff members and make their own administrative decisions
The Jewish home:
Home and family is
really the heart of Judaism. The Sabbath and festivals begin and end at home
(sometimes take place there more than in synagogue) and everyday in a
traditional Jewish home demands much attention to detail, especially in the
kitchen.
Traditionally, the
woman’s role in the religion in focused in the home: Each holiday has it’s
special rituals and foods and it is the woman of the house who prepares all
this. She is the one to raise good Jewish children, to maintain a kosher
kitchen, to prepare family holiday meal celebrations e.g., Friday evening
Sabbath dinner, Passover Seder meal, etc.
All of this helps to
build a sense of Jewish identity in the children as well as live out Jewish
practice in daily life.
Dietary laws:
It is the woman who
knows just how to maintain the dietary laws - she has learned this from
her mother and teaches it to her daughters.
Specially trained men
act as kosher butchers - the meat must be slaughtered as well as prepared
in a special way to be kosher