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elements
All synagogues contain a Torah Ark, a table from which the Torah
is read, and a desk for the prayer leader.
The Torah Ark, (Hebrew: Aron Kodesh—ארון
קודש) (called the heikhal—היכל
[temple] by Sephardim) is a cabinet in which the Torah scrolls are
kept.
The ark in a synagogue is positioned in almost always such a way
that those who face it, face 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 the congregation as a whole does not.
The ark is reminiscent of the Ark of the Covenant which contained
the tablets with 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.
A large, raised, reader's platform called the bimah (בימה)
by Ashkenazim and tebah by Sephardim, where the Torah scroll is
placed to be read. Is a feature of all synagogues. In Sephardi synagogues
it is also used as the prayer leader's reading desk.
Other traditional features include a continually-lit lamp or lantern,
usually electric in contemporary synagogues, called the ner tamid
(נר תמיד), the "Eternal
Light", used as a reminder of the western lamp of the menorah
of the Temple in Jerusalem, which remained miraculously lit always.
Many have an elaborate chair named for the prophet Elijah and only
sat upon during the ceremony of Brit milah. Many synagogues have
a large seven-branched candelabrum commemorating the full Menorah.
Most contemporary synagogues also feature a lectern for the rabbi.
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.
Until the 19th century, an Ashkenazi synagogue, all seats most often
faced the 'Torah Ark. In a Sephardi synagogue, seats were usually
arranged around the perimeter of the sanctuary, but when the worshippers
stood up to pray, everyone faced the Ark. 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 the Torah 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. |