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114-457: Simchat Torah's main celebrations occur in the synagogue during evening and morning services. In many Orthodox as well as many Conservative congregations, this is the only time of year on which the Torah scrolls are taken out of the ark and read at night . In the morning, the last parashah of Deuteronomy and the first parashah of Genesis are read in the synagogue. On each occasion, when

228-467: A third or fourth century inscription uses a similar term, εὑκτήριον euktērion . The oldest Samaritan synagogue discovered so far is from Delos in the Aegean Islands , with an inscription dated between 250 and 175 BCE, while most Samaritan synagogues excavated in the wider Land of Israel and ancient Samaria in particular, were built in the fourth to seventh centuries at the very end of

342-499: A child. She prayed "speaking upon her heart", so that no one else could hear, yet her lips were moving. Therefore, when saying the Amidah one's voice should be audible to oneself, but not loud enough for others to hear. The name "Amidah", which literally is the Hebrew gerund of "standing", comes from the fact that the worshipper recites the prayer while standing with feet firmly together. This

456-628: A choir to accompany the hazzan, and vestments for the synagogue rabbi to wear. 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. Gender separation was also removed. Synagogues often take on a broader role in modern Jewish communities and may include additional facilities such as a catering hall, kosher kitchen, religious school , library , day care center and

570-453: A commandment of rabbinic origin. Although the name Shemoneh Esreh ("eighteen") refers to the original number of component blessings in the prayer, the typical weekday Amidah actually consists of nineteen blessings. Among other prayers, the Amidah can be found in the siddur , the traditional Jewish prayer book. The prayer is recited standing with feet firmly together, and preferably while facing Jerusalem . In Orthodox public worship,

684-512: A completion; therefore, reading Gen. 1 immediately after finishing Deuteronomy is logical. It is a special honor to receive the last aliyah of the Book of Deuteronomy ; the person receiving that aliyah is called the Hatan Torah (Torah Groom). Initially, Hotem Torah (Torah Completer), the term shifted in the medieval period and now signifies a titled honoree. By extension of this shift, the person who

798-575: A continually lit lamp or lantern, usually electric in contemporary synagogues, called the ner tamid ( נר תמיד ‎), the "Eternal Light", used as a way to honor the Divine Presence. 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. Originally, synagogues were made devoid of much furniture,

912-561: A dozen Second Temple period synagogues in use by Jews and Samaritans have been identified by archaeologists in Israel and other countries of the Hellenistic world . Following the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE, Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai , who is often credited with reformulating Judaism for the post-Temple era, advocated for the establishment of individual houses of worship since

1026-585: A feast to complete the torah, therefore we make great feasts and ample delicacies on the day of Simchat Torah, to honor the torah's completion". Abraham ben Nathan (12th century) writes in haManhig that "the French rite is ... they make large celebrations, the entire community in the homes of the honorees, because it is the Simchat Torah." Zedekiah ben Abraham Anaw (13th century) writes in Shibbolei haLeqet that "It

1140-532: A fifth Amidah ( Ne'ilah ) is recited, around sunset, on Yom Kippur . Due to the importance of the Amidah , in rabbinic literature , it is simply called " hatefila " ( התפילה , "the prayer"). According to legend, the prayer was composed by the rabbis of the Anshei Knesset HaGedolah ( c.  515 –332 BCE). Accordingly, in Judaism, to recite the Amidah is a mitzvah de-rabbanan , i. e. ,

1254-406: A fifth recitation, Ne'ilah , is added as well. The weekday Amidah contains nineteen blessings. Each blessing ends with the signature "Blessed are you, O Lord..." and the opening blessing begins with this signature as well. The first three blessings as a section are known as the shevach ("praise"), and serve to inspire the worshipper and invoke God's mercy. The middle thirteen blessings compose

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1368-470: A high voice"). It is occasionally performed in Orthodox prayers (in some communities it is customary for mincha to be recited in this way), and more common in Conservative and Reform congregations. A variety of customs exist for how exactly this practice is performed. The many laws concerning the Amidah's mode of prayer are designed to focus one's concentration as one beseeches God. Prayer in Judaism

1482-686: A large number of synagogues across the Roman - Byzantine and Sasanian Empires . Archaeological evidence indicates the presence of synagogues in at least thirteen places across the diaspora, spanning from Dura-Europos in Syria to Elche in Hispania (modern-day Spain ). An especially sizable and monumental synagogue dating from this period is the Sardis Synagogue . Additionally, many inscriptions pertaining to synagogues and their officials have been discovered. In

1596-493: A person's brain is active and wandering. The Amidah brings everything into focus. The Talmud says that one who is riding an animal or sitting in a boat (or by modern extension, flying in an airplane) may recite the Amidah while seated, as the precarity of standing would disturb one's focus. The Amidah is preferably said facing Jerusalem , as suggested by Solomon 's prayer: Every prayer, every supplication, which any person from Your people Israel shall have, when he knows

1710-650: A place for communal prayer and reading and studying the Torah . Alexandrian Jews also made a Koine Greek translation of the Torah, the Septuagint . The earliest archaeological evidence for the existence of synagogues is stone dedication inscriptions from the third century BCE prove that proseukhái existed by that date. Philo and Josephus mention lavishly-adorned synagogues in Alexandria and in Antioch , respectively. More than

1824-673: A smaller chapel for daily services. Since many Orthodox and some non-Orthodox Jews prefer to collect a minyan (a quorum of ten) rather than pray alone, they commonly assemble at pre-arranged times in offices, living rooms, or other spaces when these are more convenient than formal synagogue buildings. A room or building that is used this way can become a dedicated small synagogue or prayer room. Among Ashkenazi Jews they are traditionally called shtiebel ( שטיבל , pl. shtiebelekh or shtiebels , Yiddish for "little house"), and are found in Orthodox communities worldwide. Another type of communal prayer group, favored by some contemporary Jews,

1938-586: A special chair placed on the wall facing Jerusalem and next to the Torah Shrine was reserved for the prominent members of the congregation and for important guests. Such a stone-carved and inscribed seat was discovered at archaeological excavations in the synagogue at Chorazin in Galilee and dates from the 4th–6th century; another one was discovered at the Delos Synagogue , complete with a footstool. In Yemen ,

2052-490: A special holiday Amidah , the saying of Hallel , and a holiday Mussaf service. When the ark is opened to take out the Torah for the Torah reading, all the scrolls are removed from the ark, and the congregation starts the seven hakafot just like in the evening. In most Eastern Ashkenazic communities, one deviation from an otherwise ordinary holiday morning service is the performance of the Priestly Blessing as part of

2166-501: Is called avodah shebalev ("service of the heart"). Thus, prayer is only meaningful if one focuses one's emotion and intention, kavanah , to the words of the prayers. The Shulchan Aruch thus advises that one pray using a translation one can understand, though learning the meaning of the Hebrew liturgy is ideal. Halakhah requires that the first blessing of the Amidah be said with intention; if said by rote alone, it must be repeated with intention. Rema (16th century) wrote that this

2280-607: Is called Simchat Torah ... the custom is for the Chatan Torah to make a feast and to distribute sweets and candies". As early as the 9th century, perhaps earlier, some Jewish communities assigned a special reading from the Prophets to be read on this day. In the 13th century, the reading of Genesis was added in some communities immediately upon the completion of Deuteronomy, and the Shulhan Arukh (written about 1565) codifies this. There

2394-609: Is called to begin Genesis is known as the Hatan Bereishit (Genesis Groom) and, in synagogues that allow women to receive an aliyah , the honorees are known as Kallat Torah (Torah Bride) and Kallat Bereishit (Genesis Bride). According to historical custom, still practiced in many congregations, these "grooms" are wealthy patrons of the synagogue who recognize the honor with special largesse; Modern Orthodox congregations generally choose Torah scholars instead. In many congregations, it

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2508-711: Is commonly used in English , with its earliest mention in the 1st century Theodotos inscription in Jerusalem. Ashkenazi Jews have traditionally used the Yiddish term shul (from the Greek schola , which is also the source of the English "school") in everyday speech, and many continue to do so in English. Sephardi Jews and Romaniote Jews generally use the term kal (from the Hebrew qahal "community"). Spanish and Portuguese Jews call

2622-529: Is customary to call all eligible congregation members for an aliyah to the Torah on Simchat Torah. To accommodate this, the first five aliyot are reread so that everyone has an opportunity to recite the blessing. To save time, some congregations call people up in groups. Others hold a series of separate minyanim for the Torah reading. In a minority of Orthodox congregations, women receive aliyot in single-gender tefillah groups (prayer groups consisting only of women who pray together), and only men are called to

2736-457: Is done to imitate the angels, whom Ezekiel perceived as having "one straight leg". As worshippers address the Divine Presence, they must remove all material thoughts from their minds, just as angels are purely spiritual beings. In a similar vein, the Tiferet Yisrael explains in his commentary, Boaz, that the Amidah is so-called because it helps a person focus his or her thoughts. By nature,

2850-451: Is immediately followed by the holiday of Shemini Atzeret . In Orthodox and Conservative communities outside Israel, Shemini Atzeret is a two-day holiday, and the Simchat Torah festivities are observed on the second day. The first day is called "Shemini Atzeret", and the second day as "Simchat Torah". However, according to Halakha , both days are officially Shemini Atzeret, reflected in the liturgy. Many Hasidic communities have Hakafot on

2964-458: Is no longer necessary, because "nowadays ... even in the repetition it is likely he will not have intention". The second to last blessing of Hoda'ah also has high priority for kavanah . When the Amidah is said to oneself in the presence of others, many Jews who wear a tallit (prayer shawl) will drape their tallit over their heads, allowing their field of vision to be focused only on their siddur and their personal prayer. Interrupting

3078-643: Is no longer practiced in Israel, the United Kingdom, or the United States, and which custom, as in former times, was dependent upon whether or not the wearer considered it a thing of contempt to stand before God while wearing shoes. In Christian countries, where it was thought not offensive to stand before a king while wearing shoes, it was likewise permitted to do so in a house of prayer. However, in Karaite Judaism,

3192-438: Is presumably a later custom of southern European countries to remove all the Torah scrolls from the ark and to sing a separate hymn for each one. In northern European countries, those who had finished the reading of Deuteronomy donated to the synagogue, after which the wealthier members of the community would give a dinner for friends and acquaintances. By the end of the 15th century, it was a common though not universal practice for

3306-590: Is the chavurah ( חבורה , pl. chavurot , חבורות ), or prayer fellowship. These groups meet at a regular place and time, either in a private home or in a synagogue or other institutional space. In antiquity , the Pharisees lived near each other in chavurot and dined together to ensure that none of the food was unfit for consumption. Some synagogues bear the title " Great Synagogue ". Ukraine Amidah The Amidah ( Hebrew : תפילת העמידה , Tefilat HaAmidah , 'The Standing Prayer'), also called

3420-546: Is the custom of the Ashkenazim that one bends the knees when saying "Blessed", then bows at "are You", and straightens while saying "O Lord". (At the beginning of Hoda'ah , one instead bows while saying the opening words "We are grateful to You" without bending the knees.) The reason for this procedure is that the Hebrew word for "blessed" ( baruch ) is related to "knee" ( berech ); while the verse in Psalms states, "The Lord straightens

3534-443: Is to dance [on the day after Sh'mini Atzeret] specifically, even many of the elders, when they make eulogies of the torah, and this is permitted because it glorifies the torah", a ruling affirmed by Moses Isserles ( Darkhei Moshe ). This places the custom of removing the scrolls from the ark and dancing in some locales into the 11th century. Abraham ben Isaac of Narbonne (1080–1158) writes in haEshkol that "this teaches that we make

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3648-584: Is varied for each of the four services, and short concluding portion, which is constant: Our God and God of our Ancestors! Be pleased with our rest; sanctify us with Your commandments, give us a share in Your Torah, satiate us with Your bounty, and gladden us in Your salvation. Cleanse our hearts to serve You in truth: let us inherit, O Lord our God, in love and favor, Your holy Sabbath, and may Israel, who loves Your name, rest thereon. Praised are You, O Lord, who sanctifies

3762-523: The Shemoneh Esreh ( שמנה עשרה 'eighteen'), is the central prayer of the Jewish liturgy . Observant Jews recite the Amidah at each of three daily prayer services in a typical weekday: morning ( Shacharit ), afternoon ( Mincha ), and evening ( Ma'ariv ). On Shabbat , Rosh Chodesh , and Jewish festivals , a fourth Amidah ( Mussaf ) is recited after the morning Torah reading , and once per year,

3876-479: The Amidah according to their customs. When the Amidah is modified for specific prayers or occasions, the first three blessings and the last three remain constant, framing the Amidah used in each service, while the middle thirteen blessings are replaced by blessings (usually just one) specific to the occasion. There has been a general consensus that the eighteen blessings of the Amidah generally go back to some form in

3990-455: The Amidah is forbidden. The only exceptions are in cases of danger or to relieve oneself. There are also halakhot to prevent interrupting the Amidah of others; for example, it is forbidden to sit next to someone praying or to walk within four amot ( cubits ) of someone praying. The guideline of quiet prayer comes from Hannah 's behavior during prayer, when she prayed in the Temple to bear

4104-529: The Amidah is traced to the "first wise men", or to the Great Assembly . In order to reconcile the various assertions of editorship, the Talmud concludes that the prayers had fallen into disuse, and that Gamaliel reinstituted them. The Talmud indicates that when Gamaliel undertook to codify the Amidah , he directed Samuel ha-Katan to write another paragraph inveighing against informers and heretics , which

4218-458: The Amidah is usually first prayed quietly by the congregation, and is then repeated aloud by the chazzan (reader); it is not repeated in the Maariv prayer. The repetition's original purpose was to give illiterate members of the congregation a chance to participate in the collective prayer by answering " Amen ". Conservative and Reform congregations sometimes abbreviate the public recitation of

4332-471: The Amidah . Rabbi Shimon discourages praying by rote: "But rather make your prayer a request for mercy and compassion before the Ominipresent." Some authorities encourage the worshipper to say something new in his prayer every time. In Orthodox and Conservative (Masorti) public worship, the Amidah is first prayed quietly by the congregation; it is then repeated aloud by the chazzan (reader), except for

4446-588: The Gospel of John ( John 9:22; 18:20 ) and the Book of Revelation ( Rev. 2:9; 3:9 ). It is used in the sense of 'assembly' in the Epistle of James ( James 2:2 ). Alternatively, the epistle of James (in Greek, clearly Ἰάκωβος or יעקב, anglicized to Jacob) refers to a place of assembly that was indeed Jewish, with Jacob ben Joseph perhaps an elder there. The specific word in James (Jacob) 2:2 could easily be rendered "synagogue", from

4560-636: The Heliopolite Nome . The first synagogues emerged in the Jewish diaspora , several centuries before their introduction to the Land of Israel . Evidence points to their existence as early as the Hellenistic period , notably in Alexandria , Ptolemaic Egypt , the world's foremost Greek-speaking city at the time. There, the first proseukhái ( Koinē Greek : προσευχαί , lit.   'places of prayer'; singular προσευχή proseukhē ) were built to provide

4674-480: The Mishnah – the "Oral Torah") states that communal Jewish worship can be carried out wherever a minyan , a group of at least 10 Jewish adults, is assembled, often (but not necessarily) led by a rabbi . Worship can also happen alone or with fewer than ten people, but certain prayers are considered by halakha as solely communal; these can be recited only by a minyan. In terms of its specific ritual and liturgical functions,

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4788-505: The Second Temple period . In the time of the Mishnah , it was considered unnecessary to fully prescribe its text and content. This may have been simply because the language was well known to the Mishnah's authors. The Mishnah may also have not recorded specific text because of an aversion to making prayer a matter of rigor and fixed formula. According to the Talmud, Rabban Gamaliel II ,

4902-531: The Sephardic , Yemenite , Romaniote or Persian Jews of a town), style of religious observance (e.g., Reform or Orthodox synagogue), or by the followers of a particular rabbi , such as the shtiebelekh ( Yiddish : שטיבעלעך , romanized :  shtibelekh , singular שטיבל shtibl ) of Hasidic Judaism . The Hebrew term is bet knesset (בית כנסת) or "house of assembly". The Koine Greek -derived word synagogue (συναγωγή) also means "assembly" and

5016-561: The Temples in Jerusalem . After the Second Temple's destruction in 70 CE, the Council of Jamnia determined that the Amidah would substitute for the sacrifices, directly applying Hosea 's dictate, "So we will render for bullocks the offering of our lips." For this reason, the Amidah should be recited during the time period in which the tamid would have been offered. Accordingly, since the Ma'ariv service

5130-545: The Torah , the goodness of God ( Mipi El is an example), Messianic yearnings, and prayers for the restoration of the House of David and of the Temple in Jerusalem . Congregations may also sing other popular songs during the dancing. Children often receive flags, candies, and other treats. The vigor of the dancing and degree of festive merriment varies with congregational temperament. In Orthodox synagogues, men and boys predominate in

5244-483: The bakashah ("request"), with six personal requests, six communal requests, and a final request that God accept the prayers. The final three blessings, known as the hoda'ah ("gratitude"), thank God for the opportunity to serve the Lord. The shevach and hoda'ah are standard for every Amidah , with some changes on certain occasions. The nineteen blessings are as follows: The custom has gradually developed of reciting, at

5358-518: The destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 CE, including in Magdala, Gamla, Masada, Herodium, Modi‘in (Kh. Umm el-‘Umdan), Qiryat Sepher (Kh. Bad ‘Issa), and Kh. Diab. Aviam concluded that he thought almost every Jewish settlement at the time, whether it was a polis or a village, had a synagogue. During Late antiquity (third to seventh century CE), literary sources attest to the existence of

5472-402: The hakafot and the dancing, three scrolls of the Torah are read. The last parashah of the Torah , V'Zot HaBerakhah , at the end of Deuteronomy (33:1–34:12), is read from the first scroll, followed immediately by the first chapter (and part of the second) of the Book of Genesis (1:1–2:3), which is read from the second scroll. It is a Jewish custom that a new beginning must immediately follow

5586-612: The heikhal — היכל ‎ or 'temple' by Sephardic Jews , is a cabinet in which the Torah scrolls are kept. The ark in a synagogue is almost always positioned in such a way such that those who face it are facing towards Jerusalem . Thus, sanctuary seating plans in the Western world generally face east , while those east of Israel face west. Sanctuaries in Israel face towards Jerusalem. Occasionally synagogues face other directions for structural reasons; in such cases, some individuals might turn to face Jerusalem when standing for prayers, but

5700-459: The 19th century and early 20th century heyday of historicist architecture, however, most historicist synagogues, even the most magnificent ones, did not attempt a pure style, or even any particular style, and are best described as eclectic. In the post-war era, synagogue architecture abandoned historicist styles for modernism. All synagogues contain a Bimah , a large, raised, reader's platform (called teḇah (reading dais) by Sephardim), where

5814-516: The 19th century, in an Ashkenazi synagogue, all seats most often faced the Torah Ark. In a Sephardic synagogue, seats were usually arranged around the perimeter of the sanctuary, but when the worshipers stood up to pray, everyone faced the Ark. Many current synagogues have an elaborate chair named for the prophet Elijah , which is only sat upon during the ceremony of Brit milah . In ancient synagogues,

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5928-558: The Greek συναγωγὴν. During the first Christian centuries, Jewish Christians are hypothesized to have used houses of worship known in academic literature as synagogue-churches. Scholars have claimed to have identified such houses of worship of the Jews who had accepted Jesus as the Messiah in Jerusalem and Nazareth . There is no set blueprint for synagogues and the architectural shapes and interior designs of synagogues vary greatly. In fact,

6042-509: The Jew to act as the "feet" of the Torah, taking the Torah where it wishes to go, as feet transport the head. This is considered an act of submission to the will of God as expressed in the dictates of the Torah. It is an act that causes the Jew to inherently and naturally observe the Jewish faith. And just as the head benefits from the mobility of the feet, so does the Torah become exalted by the commitment of

6156-522: The Jew. In the 20th century, Simhat Torah symbolized the public assertion of Jewish identity. The Jews of the Soviet Union , in particular, would celebrate the festival en masse in the streets of Moscow . On October 14, 1973, more than 100,000 Jews took part in a post–Simhat Torah rally in New York City on behalf of refuseniks and Soviet Jewry. Dancing in the street with the Torah has become part of

6270-511: The Jewish congregants in Spain , the Maghreb (North Africa), Babylonia , the Land of Israel and Yemen having a custom to sit upon the floor, which had been strewn with mats and cushions, rather than upon chairs or benches. In other European towns and cities, however, Jewish congregants would sit upon chairs and benches. Today, the custom has spread in all places to sit upon chairs and benches. Until

6384-543: The Jewish custom was to remove one's shoes immediately prior to entering the synagogue, a custom that had been observed by Jews in other places in earlier times. The same practice of removing one's shoes before entering the synagogue was also largely observed among Jews in Morocco in the early 20th century. On the island of Djerba in Tunisia , Jews still remove their shoes when entering a synagogue. The custom of removing one's shoes

6498-560: The King of Kings. The Mekhilta notes that the significance of the three steps is based on the three barriers that Moses had to pass through at Sinai before entering God's realm. The Mishnah Berurah wrote that only the steps forward are required, while the backward steps beforehand are a prevalent custom. It is not the custom of the Sephardim to step backward or forward prior to reciting the Amidah . Mention of taking three steps back, upon finishing

6612-630: The Land of Israel should face Jerusalem, as it is said, "They shall pray to the Lord by way of the city" (ibid). One who stands in Jerusalem should face the Temple. ... One who stands in the Temple should face the Holy of Holies . ... One who stands in the Holy of Holies should face the Cover of the Ark. ... It is therefore found that the entire nation of Israel directs their prayers toward a single location. While many Jews calculate

6726-444: The Land of Israel, late antiquity witnessed a significant increase in synagogue construction, in Galilee and Golan in the north and the southern hills of Judea , in the south. Each synagogue was constructed according to the means and religious customs of the local community. Notable examples include Capernaum , Bar'am , Beth Alpha , Maoz Haim , Meroth and Nabratein in the north, and Eshtemoa , Susya , Anim , and Maon in

6840-525: The Mincha offering of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasing to God, as in ancient days and former years. Many Sephardi prayer books correspondingly add: May it be your will, O my God and God of my fathers, that You Shall speedily rebuild the Temple in our days, and give us our portion in your Torah , so that we may fulfill your statutes and do Your Will and serve you with all our heart. Many also customary add individual personal prayers as part of quiet recitation of

6954-629: The Muslim practice of sujud . There are some variations in Ashkenazi customs as to how long one remains in this position. Some members of the Dor Daim movement also bow in this manner in their daily Amidah prayer. On Shabbat , the middle 13 blessings of the Amidah are replaced by one, known as Kedushat haYom ("sanctity of the day"), so that each Shabbat Amidah is composed of seven blessings. The Kedushat haYom has an introductory portion, which on Sabbath

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7068-415: The Roman Empire and throughout the Byzantine period. The elements which distinguish Samaritan synagogues from contemporary Jewish ones are: Ancient Samaritan synagogues are mentioned by literary sources or have been found by archaeologists in the Diaspora, in the wider Holy Land, and specifically in Samaria. In the New Testament , the word appears 56 times, mostly in the Synoptic Gospels , but also in

7182-417: The Sabbath. On Sabbath eve, after the congregation has read the Amidah quietly, the reader repeats aloud the Me'ein Sheva' , or summary of the seven blessings. Although this is a repetition intended to be recited by the leader alon, the common Ashkenazic practice (except for those who follow the Vilna Gaon is that the congregation recited the middle part aloud, and then the leader repeats it: Shield of

7296-432: The Second Temple in 70 CE had prepared the Jews for life in the diaspora, where prayer would serve as the focus of Jewish worship. Despite the certain existence of synagogue-like spaces prior to the First Jewish–Roman War, the synagogue emerged as a focal point for Jewish worship upon the destruction of the Temple. For Jews living in the wake of the Revolt, the synagogue functioned as a "portable system of worship". Within

7410-436: The Shacharit service before the celebrations connected with the Torah reading begin, rather than as part of the Musaf service that follows. This practice hearkens back to an old custom for the kiddush sponsored by the Hatan Torah (see below) to be held during the Simchat Torah service itself, where hard liquor (along with other refreshments) may be served. Since the Bible prohibits Kohanim (descendants of Aaron) from performing

7524-405: The Temple was no longer accessible. It has been theorized that the synagogue became a place of worship in the region upon the destruction of the Second Temple during the First Jewish–Roman War ; however, others speculate that there had been places of prayer, apart from the Temple, during the Hellenistic period. The popularization of prayer over sacrifice during the years prior to the destruction of

7638-410: The Torah (reading dais) was commonly placed at the opposite side of the room from the Torah Ark, leaving the center of the floor empty for the use of a ceremonial procession carrying the Torah between the Ark and the reading table. Most contemporary synagogues feature a lectern for the rabbi. The Torah Ark , called in Hebrew ארון קודש ‎ Aron Kodesh or 'holy chest' , and alternatively called

7752-433: The Torah ark. There are varying customs related to taking three steps backwards (and then forwards) before reciting the Amidah , and likewise after the Amidah . Before reciting the Amidah , it is customary for Ashkenazim to take three steps back and then three steps forward. The steps backward at the beginning represent withdrawing one's attention from the material world, and then stepping forward to symbolically approach

7866-475: The Torah in front of the whole congregation. Another custom is to call all the children (in Orthodox congregations, boys only) to a special aliyah called Kol HaNe'arim ("all the children"). In many congregations, a large tallit is spread out over the heads of all the children as the blessing over the Torah is pronounced. The congregation blesses the children by reciting (in Hebrew) a verse from Jacob's blessing to Ephraim and Manasseh , Genesis 48:16. May

7980-471: The Torah often continues much longer and may overflow onto the streets. In Orthodox and Conservative Jewish synagogues, each circuit is announced by a few melodious invocations imploring God to Hoshiah Na ("Save us") and ending with the refrain, Aneinu v'Yom Kor'einu ("[God] answer us on the day we call "). In Orthodox and Conservative synagogues, the hakafot are accompanied by traditional chants, including biblical and liturgical verses and songs about

8094-407: The Torah scroll is placed to be read. In Sephardi synagogues and traditional Ashkenazi synagogues it is also used as the prayer leader's reading desk. In Ashkenazi synagogues, the Torah was read on a reader's table located in the center of the room, while the leader of the prayer service, the hazzan , stood at his own lectern or table, facing the Ark. In Sephardic synagogues, the table for reading

8208-430: The angel who redeems me from all evil bless the children, and may my name be declared among them, and the names of my fathers Abraham and Isaac, and may they teem like fish for multitude within the land. Although the blessing of the children is omitted from the 1985 edition of Conservative Judaism's Siddur Sim Shalom prayer book, it was reinstated in later versions. Most Conservative congregations still perform it. After

8322-478: The ark is opened, the worshippers leave their seats to dance and sing with the Torah scrolls in a joyous celebration that lasts several hours. The morning service is also uniquely characterized by each member of the congregation being called up for an aliyah . There is also a special aliyah for children. On the Hebrew calendar , the seven-day holiday of Sukkot in the autumn (late mid-September to late mid-October)

8436-541: The bent." At each of these bows, one must bend over until the vertebrae protrude from one's back; one physically unable to do so suffices by nodding the head. It is not the custom of the Sephardim to bend the knees during the Amidah . During certain parts of the Amidah said on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur , including the Yom Kippur Avodah , Ashkenazi Jews traditionally go down to the floor upon their knees and make their upper body bowed over like an arch, similar to

8550-509: The chazzan reaches the Kedusha , and then take three steps forward. The Talmud understands this as a reminder of the practice in the Temple in Jerusalem, when those offering the daily sacrifices would walk backward from the altar after finishing. It also compares the practice to a student's respectfully backs away from his teacher. The worshipper bows at four points in the Amidah : at the beginning and end of two blessings, Avot and Hoda'ah . It

8664-407: The children to tear down and burn the sukkahs on Simchat Torah. In the 16th century, taking out the scrolls and filing solemnly around the bimah on the night of the 23rd of Tishri became customary. On the same evening, several passages from the Torah were read after the procession. In the 17th century, Rebecca bat Meir Tiktiner of Prague composed a poem about Simchat Torah. In Poland , it

8778-500: The conclusion of the latter, the supplication with which Mar son of Ravina used to conclude his prayer: My God, keep my tongue and my lips from speaking deceit, and to them that curse me let my soul be silent, and like dust to all. Open my heart in Your Torah, and after [in] Thy commandments let me [my soul] pursue. As for those that think evil of [against] me speedily thwart their counsel and destroy their plots. Do [this] for Thy name's sake, do this for Thy right hand's sake, do this for

8892-553: The congregation as a whole does not. The Ark is reminiscent of the Ark of the Covenant , which held the tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments . This is the holiest spot in a synagogue, equivalent to the Holy of Holies . The Ark is often closed with an ornate curtain, the parochet פרוכת ‎, which hangs outside or inside the ark doors. Other traditional features include

9006-404: The custom of removing one's shoes prior to entering a synagogue is still observed worldwide. In Orthodox synagogues, men and women do not sit together. The synagogue features a partition ( mechitza ) dividing the men's and women's seating areas, or a separate women's section located on a balcony. The German–Jewish Reform movement, which arose in the early 19th century, made many changes to

9120-416: The dancing; children (even young girls) may also dance with their fathers. Women and older girls often have dancing circles (sometimes with the Torah scrolls) or look on from the other side of a mechitza (partition), in accordance with the value of tzniut (modesty). In Conservative and Progressive congregations, men and women dance together. In some congregations, the Torah scrolls are carried out into

9234-413: The diaspora. The custom was started by the former Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, Rabbi Yedidya Frankel. The Simchat Torah festivities begin with the evening service. All the synagogue's Torah scrolls are removed from the ark and are carried around the sanctuary in a series of seven hakafot (circuits). Although each hakafa needs to encompass only one circuit around the synagogue, the dancing and singing with

9348-457: The direction to Jerusalem in terms of a simple straight line on the map ( rhumb line ), some authorities of halakha rule that one should instead follow a great circle route to Jerusalem, which is more direct. In practice, many synagogues do not face exactly towards Israel or Jerusalem. Sources disagree whether or not it is necessary to calculate the direction precisely, and in any case one should not face Jerusalem if it means turning their back to

9462-461: The early Rishonic period. Isaac ibn Ghayyat (1030–1089) writes in his Me'ah She'arim that he asked Hayy ben Sherira "about those whose wont is to remove the sefer torah from its ark at the close of the holiday, and [Hayy] responded that this is not our practice ... but that local customs should not change." Joseph Colon Trabotto adds in his Responsa that in his edition (ours is lacunose), ibn Ghayyat added that Hayy had also written, "Our habit

9576-473: The end of hope, managed to dance on Simhat Torah, those Jews who studied Talmud by heart while carrying stones on their back, those Jews who went on whispering Zemirot shel Shabbat (Hymns of Sabbath) while performing hard labor ... ve-samachta be-chagekha was one commandment that was impossible to observe—yet they observed it. In 1996, the Israel Postal Authority issued a postage stamp to honor

9690-431: The eve of the first day of Shemini Atzeret. However, in all communities outside Israel, no Hakafot is done on the first morning. In Israel , Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah are celebrated on the same day. Reform congregations, even outside Israel, may do likewise. Many communities in Israel have Hakafot Shniyot ("Second Hakafot") on the evening following the holiday, which is the same day as Simchat Torah evening in

9804-434: The evening Amidah or when a minyan is not present. The congregation responds " Amen " to each blessing, and many recite " Baruch Hu Uvaruch Shemo " ("blessed is He and blessed is His Name") when the chazzan invokes God's name in the signature "Blessed are You, O Lord..." Some say that if there are not six members of the minyan responding "Amen," the chazzan's blessing is considered in vain. The repetition's original purpose

9918-464: The fathers by His word, who revives the dead by His command, the holy God to whom none is like; who causes His people to rest on His holy Sabbath-day, for in them He took delight to cause them to rest. Before Him we shall worship in reverence and fear. We shall render thanks to His name on every day constantly in the manner of the blessings. God of praises, Lord of peace, who sanctifies the Sabbath and blesses

10032-419: The final meditation after the Amidah , is found in both Ashkenaz and Sephardi/ Edot HaMizrach siddurim. One takes three steps back upon finishing the final meditation after the Amidah , and then says, while bowing left, right, and forward, "He who makes peace in the heavens, may He make peace for us and all Israel, and let us say, Amen." Many have the custom to remain standing in place until immediately before

10146-459: The first leader of the Sanhedrin after the fall of the Second Temple in 70 CE, undertook to codify uniformly the public service, directing Simeon HaPakoli to edit the blessings (probably in the order they had already acquired) and made it a duty, incumbent on every one, to recite the prayer three times daily. But this does not imply that the blessings were unknown before that date; in other passages

10260-425: The holiday's ritual in various Jewish congregations in the United States as well. Holocaust survivor Elie Wiesel said: The Gaon of Vilna said that ve-samachta be-chagekha (You shall rejoice in your festival; Deuteronomy 16:14) is the most difficult commandment in the Torah . I could never understand this puzzling remark. Only during the war did I understand. Those Jews who, in the course of their journey to

10374-663: The holiday. Synagogue A synagogue , also called a shul or a temple , is a place of worship for Jews and Samaritans . It has a place for prayer (the main sanctuary and sometimes smaller chapels) where Jews attend religious services or special ceremonies such as weddings , bar and bat mitzvahs , choir performances, and children's plays. They also have rooms for study , social halls, administrative and charitable offices, classrooms for religious and Hebrew studies , and many places to sit and congregate. They often display commemorative, historic, or modern artwork alongside items of Jewish historical significance or history about

10488-481: The influence from other local religious buildings can often be seen in synagogue arches, domes and towers. Historically, synagogues were built in the prevailing architectural style of their time and place. Thus, the synagogue in Kaifeng, China , looked very like Chinese temples of that region and era, with its outer wall and open garden in which several buildings were arranged. The styles of the earliest synagogues resembled

10602-453: The morning, afternoon, and evening prayer services that are known respectively as Shacharit , Mincha , and Ma'ariv . One opinion in the Talmud claims, with support from Biblical verses, that the concept for each of the three services was founded respectively by each of the three biblical patriarchs . The prescribed times for reciting the Amidah thus may come from the times of the public tamid ("eternal") sacrifices that took place in

10716-512: The personal affliction of his heart, he shall stretch out his hands towards this Temple . The Talmud records the following Baraita on this topic: A blind man, or one who cannot orient himself, should direct his heart toward his Father in Heaven, as it is said, "They shall pray to the Lord" (I Kings 8). One who stands in the diaspora should face the Land of Israel, as it is said, "They shall pray to You by way of their Land" (ibid). One who stands in

10830-546: The portion of Genesis is read, the Maftir , Numbers 29:35–30:1, is read from a third Torah scroll. The passage describes the prescribed offerings performed for the holiday. The haftarah (reading from the prophets) is the first section of the Book of Joshua . The name Simhat Torah was not used until relatively recently. In the Talmud ( Meg . 31b), it is called Shemini Atzeret . Modern customs of celebration and dancing arose in

10944-592: The priestly blessing while intoxicated, and there is concern that Kohanim may imbibe alcoholic beverages during the Simchat Torah festivities, the blessing was moved to before the time when alcohol would be served. In some congregations, the Kohanim deliver their blessing as usual during the Musaf service of Simchat Torah. In some Western Ashkenazic communities and many communities in Israel, the Kohanim deliver their blessing at Shacharit and Musaf services, as at every festival. After

11058-622: The right to build synagogues without needing special permissions—synagogue architecture blossomed. Large Jewish communities wished to show not only their wealth but also their newly acquired status as citizens by constructing magnificent synagogues. These were built across Western Europe and in the United States in all of the historicist or revival styles then in fashion. Thus there were Neoclassical , Renaissance Revival architecture , Neo-Byzantine , Romanesque Revival , Moorish Revival , Gothic Revival , and Greek Revival . There are Egyptian Revival synagogues and even one Mayan Revival synagogue. In

11172-420: The sake of Thy holiness, do this for the sake of Thy Torah. That Thy beloved ones may rejoice, let Thy right hand bring on help [salvation] and answer me... At this point, some say a Biblical verse related to their name(s). For example, someone named Leah might say Psalms 3:9 , since both Leah and this verse begin with the letter Lamed and end with Hay . This practice is first recorded in the 16th century, and

11286-470: The seventh [day], and causes the people who are filled with Sabbath delight to rest, as a memorial of the work in the beginning of Creation. On festivals , like on Shabbat, the intermediate 13 blessings are replaced by a single blessing concerning "Sanctification of the Day" prayer. However, the text of this blessing differs from on Shabbat. The first section is constant on all holidays: You have chosen us from all

11400-521: The south. Rabbi and philosopher Maimonides (1138–1204) described the various customs in his day with respect to local synagogues: Synagogues and houses of study must be treated with respect. They are swept and sprinkled [with water] to lay the dust. In Spain and the Maghreb , in Babylonia and in the Holy Land , it is customary to kindle lamps in the synagogues and to spread mats on the floor upon which

11514-550: The streets, and the dancing may continue far into the evening. After the hakafot , many congregations recite a portion of the last parashah of the Torah, V'Zot HaBerakhah ("This is the Blessing ...") in Deuteronomy . The part read is usually 33:1–34:12, but this may vary by individual synagogue custom, although Deuteronomy is never read to the end of the evening. The morning service, like that of other Jewish holidays, includes

11628-428: The synagogue an esnoga and Portuguese Jews may call it a sinagoga . Persian Jews and some Karaite Jews also use the term kenesa , which is derived from Aramaic , and some Mizrahi Jews use kenis or qnis . In the earliest period, Jewish communal worship primarily revolved around the Temple in Jerusalem , serving as a central focal point and significant symbol for the entire Jewish nation. As such, it

11742-491: The synagogue does not replace the symbol of the long-destroyed Temple in Jerusalem . Any Jew or group of Jews can build a synagogue. Synagogues have been constructed by ancient Jewish leaders, by wealthy patrons, as part of a wide range of human institutions including secular educational institutions, governments, and hotels, by the entire Jewish community of living in a particular village or region, or by sub-groups of Jewish people arrayed according to occupation, ethnicity (e.g.,

11856-553: The synagogue itself. Synagogues are consecrated spaces used for Jewish prayer , study, assembly, and reading of the Torah (read in its entirety once a year, or in some synagogues on a triennial cycle, in weekly Torah portions during religious services). However, a synagogue is not always necessary for Jewish worship, due to adaptations during times of Jewish persecution in countries and regions that banned Judaism, frequently destroying and/or reappropriating synagogues into churches or even government buildings. Halakha (Jewish law from

11970-736: The synagogue, Jews worshipped by way of prayer rather than sacrifices, which had previously served as the main form of worship within the Second Temple. In 1995, Howard Clark Kee argued that synagogues were not a developed feature of Jewish life prior to the First Jewish–Roman War (66–73 CE). Kee interpreted his findings as evidence that the mentions of synagogues in the New Testament , including Jesus's visitations of synagogues in various Jewish settlements in Israel, were anachronistic. However, by 2018, Mordechai Aviam reported that there were now at least nine synagogues excavated known to pre-date

12084-601: The temples of other cults of the Eastern Roman Empire . The surviving synagogues of medieval Spain are embellished with mudéjar plasterwork. The surviving medieval synagogues in Budapest and Prague are typical Gothic structures. With the emancipation of Jews in Western European countries in the 19th century—which not only enabled Jews to enter fields of enterprise from which they were formerly barred, but gave them

12198-467: The traditional look of the synagogue, keeping with its desire to simultaneously stay Jewish yet be accepted by the surrounding culture. The first Reform synagogue , which opened in Hamburg in 1811, introduced changes that made the synagogue look more like a church. These included: the installation of an organ to accompany the prayers (even on Shabbat , when musical instruments are proscribed by halakha ),

12312-482: The worshippers sit. In the lands of Edom ( Christendom ), they sit in synagogues upon chairs [or benches]. The Samaritan house of worship is also called a synagogue. During the third and second centuries BCE, the Hellenistic period , the Greek word used in the Diaspora by Samaritans and Jews was the same, proseukhē Koinē Greek : προσευχή , lit.   'place of prayer', plural προσευχαί prosukhái );

12426-468: Was inserted as the twelfth prayer in modern sequence, making the number of blessings nineteen. Other Talmudic sources indicate, however, that this prayer was part of the original 18; and that 19 prayers came about when the 15th prayer for the restoration of Jerusalem and of the throne of David (coming of the Messiah) was split into two. On regular weekdays, the Amidah is prayed three times, once each during

12540-407: Was originally optional, as it replaces the overnight burning of ashes on the Temple altar rather than a specific sacrifice, Maariv's Amidah is not repeated by the hazzan (reader), while all other Amidot are repeated. On Shabbat , Rosh Chodesh , and other Jewish holidays there is a Mussaf ("Additional") Amidah to replace the additional communal sacrifices of these days. On Yom Kippur ,

12654-584: Was popularized by the Shelah . Then Psalm 19:15 (which was the final line of Mar son of Ravina's supplication) is recited. Three steps back are followed by a followup prayer: Mainstream Ashkenazi Orthodox Judaism also adds the following prayer to the conclusion of every Amidah : May it be your will, O my God and God of my fathers, that the Temple be rebuilt speedily in our days, and give us our portion in your Torah , and there we will worship you with reverence as in ancient days and former years. And may

12768-409: Was the custom to sell to the members of the congregation, on the 23rd of Tishri, the privilege of executing various functions during the services on Shabbat and Jewish festivals; i.e., the synagogue used this occasion as a fund-raiser. People who made these donations were called to the Torah and given a congregational blessing. In Chabad Hasidic thought, the traditional dancing with the Torah allows

12882-583: Was the destination for Jews making pilgrimages during the three major annual festivals commanded by the Torah : Passover , Shavuot and Sukkot . There are several known cases of Jewish communities in Egypt with their own temples, such as the Temple at Elephantine established by refugees from the Kingdom of Judah during the Twenty-seventh Dynasty of Egypt , and a few centuries later, the Temple of Onias in

12996-621: Was to allow individual who did not know the prayer text to be included in the chazzan's Amidah by answering "Amen." The public recitation of the Amidah is sometimes abbreviated, with the first three blessings (including Kedushah ) said out loud and the remainder quietly. The individual's quiet repetition of the Amidah is said afterwards, not before. This practice is commonly referred to as heikha kedusha ( Yiddish : הויכע קדושה , lit. "high (loud) kedushah"), or in modern Hebrew as mincha ketzarah (Hebrew מנחה קצרה, lit. "short mincha "), or sometimes as bekol ram (Hebrew בקול רם, lit. "in

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