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Prague · 28 Cheshvan 5787

Shabbat this week · 16:02–17:11

Synagogue

Synagogue

בֵּית כְּנֶסֶתbeit knesset
Awaiting expert review

The synagogue (beit knesset, "house of assembly") serves for communal prayer, Torah reading, study and community life. After the destruction of the Temple it became a "small sanctuary". Its layout and services vary by rite and movement.

01

Origin and significance

Interpretation

The Talmud interprets Ezekiel's words about a "small sanctuary" as referring to synagogues and houses of study.1,2

History

Public Torah reading is attested in the Book of Nehemiah; tradition attributes the readings on Monday and Thursday to Ezra.3,4

02

Layout

Minhag

The ark (aron ha-kodesh) with the Torah scrolls usually stands in the wall facing Jerusalem; in front of it burns the eternal light (ner tamid). The Torah is read from a raised platform (bimah).5

Modern practiceAshkenazimSephardim

Traditionally the bimah is in the center; 19th-century Reform synagogues often moved it to the front. In Orthodox synagogues men and women are separated (by a mechitzah or a women's gallery); in Conservative and Reform ones, families sit together.

03

People and the service

Minhag

The service is led by a prayer leader (chazzan, shaliach tzibbur), the Torah is read by the baal koreh, and the gabbai looks after the running of things; the rabbi is a teacher and an arbiter in questions of halakhah, not a priest.

Halakhah

Communal prayer with kaddish and the Torah reading requires a minyan.6

04

Prague

HistoryCzech lands⁂ To verify

The Old-New Synagogue (Altneuschul), from the second half of the 13th century, is the oldest synagogue in Europe still in use; it is associated with the Maharal.7

HistoryCzech lands⁂ To verify

The Pinkas Synagogue serves as a memorial to the Shoah victims from Bohemia and Moravia, with the names of nearly 80,000 people on its walls.8

FAQ

Can I attend a service as a non-Jew?

Usually yes; it is best to let them know in advance, men cover their heads, clothing should be modest, and no photographs are taken on Shabbat.

Is a synagogue holy like the Temple?

Not in the same sense; it is a "small sanctuary", but it has its own dignity and rules of conduct.

Sources

See also