🏛️ Facing Jerusalem
The main hall is built so that worshippers face towards Jerusalem when they pray. This links every congregation to the city where the Temple stood. In Britain, that means facing roughly east.
Judaism: Worship and Practice » The Synagogue: Ark, Sefer Torah, Ner Tamid and Bimah
What you'll learn this session
Study time: 30 minutes
Edexcel spec: Paper 2 Judaism (4RS1/2E), 3.1
- How synagogues are built and decorated, and how Orthodox and Progressive synagogues differ
- The meaning of the ark, the Sefer Torah, the ner tamid and the bimah
- How these features express Jewish beliefs and help worship
- The ways a Jewish community uses its synagogue
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Unlock This CourseThe synagogue: a house for the community
A synagogue is a Jewish place of worship. The word comes from a Greek word meaning "gathering together". It can also be called a beth knesset (house of gathering), a beth tefillah (house of prayer) or a beth midrash (house of study). Many Jews simply say shul.
Key terms:
- Synagogue (recap from Jewish Nurture, the Torah and Tradition): a Jewish place of worship, prayer, study and meeting.
- Aron hakodesh: the "holy ark", the cupboard in the synagogue that holds the Torah scrolls.
- Sefer Torah: a handwritten scroll of the five books of the Torah, kept in the ark.
- Ner tamid: the "everlasting light", a lamp that always burns in front of the ark.
- Bimah: the raised platform from which the Torah is read.
- Minyan (recap from Equal Rights and Opportunities in Judaism): a group of ten adult Jews needed for some parts of public prayer.
Architecture, design and decoration
Judaism gives no rule about what a synagogue must look like outside. Some are grand buildings, some are plain halls and some are converted houses. They are built in the style of the country and the time. This is why synagogues in different parts of the world look so different.
Some things are common to most synagogues:
📜 Jewish symbols
Many synagogues show a Star of David or a menorah (a seven-branched lamp, used in the Temple). Hebrew lettering is common, and the tablets of the Ten Commandments often appear in windows or above the ark.
🚫 No images of people
Traditionally, synagogues do not show pictures or statues of people. This follows the commandment against making images to worship (Exodus 20:4). It reminds Jews that, in their belief, the Almighty cannot be pictured. Decoration uses patterns, plants, animals, shapes and words.
💡 A simple, central focus
Attention is drawn to the ark and the Torah, not to an altar or a statue. The building is arranged so that everyone can see and hear the reading of the Torah.
Orthodox and Progressive synagogues
The layout inside depends on the tradition. This shows how different groups of Jews understand worship.
📖 Orthodox
Men and women sit separately, often with women in an upstairs gallery or behind a screen. The bimah stands in the centre of the hall, so the Torah is read from the middle of the congregation. Orthodox Jews believe that the roles of men and women in worship are different. Only men are counted in the minyan.
👥 Progressive (Reform and Liberal)
Families sit together. The bimah is often at the front, near the ark, so the congregation faces the service like an audience. Progressive Jews believe that men and women have equal roles in worship. Women and men are both counted in the minyan.
Both face Jerusalem and keep the ark and the Torah at the heart of the building.
Inside the synagogue: the main features
The aron hakodesh (the ark)
The ark is a cupboard, often set into the wall that faces Jerusalem. It holds the Torah scrolls and is the most important feature of the room. Its name recalls the Ark of the Covenant, the chest that held the tablets of the Ten Commandments in the Tabernacle and later the Temple. A curtain called the parochet usually hangs in front of it. When the ark is opened, the congregation stands.
Why it matters: it shows that the Torah is the most precious thing in Jewish life, and it connects the synagogue to the Temple and to the covenant between the Almighty and the Jewish people.
The Sefer Torah
A Sefer Torah is written by hand in Hebrew, on parchment, by a trained scribe called a sofer. It takes many months and the scribe must make no mistakes. The scroll is rolled on two wooden rollers. It is dressed in a decorated cover called a mantle and often has a silver crown on top. Readers do not touch the parchment with their fingers. They follow the words with a silver pointer called a yad (Hebrew for "hand").
Why it matters: Jews believe the Torah contains the Almighty's teachings, so the scroll is treated with great honour. It is carried in procession, and people stand as it passes. Its reading is the high point of the service.
The ner tamid
The ner tamid hangs or stands in front of the ark and is never allowed to go out. It is now usually an electric light. It recalls the lamp which the Torah says was kept burning in the Tabernacle (Exodus 27:20-21), and the menorah in the Temple.
Why it matters: many Jews see it as a symbol of the Almighty's ever-present care, and of the Torah as a light for Jewish life. It reminds worshippers that Jewish prayer and learning continue all the time.
The bimah
The bimah is a raised platform with a desk. The Sefer Torah is taken from the ark and carried to the bimah to be read. Because it is raised, everyone can see and hear.
Why it matters: it makes the Torah reading the centre of the service. In Orthodox synagogues, its central position shows that the Torah belongs to the whole community around it. In Progressive synagogues, its place at the front lets the congregation focus on the service together.
How the synagogue is used
A synagogue is much more than a place for services. Jewish communities use it in four main ways:
🙏 Prayer
Services take place on Shabbat, on festivals and on many weekdays. Communal prayer needs a minyan.
🎓 Teaching
Children learn Hebrew and the Jewish faith in classes held there. Many prepare for Bar and Bat Mitzvah with the rabbi or cantor.
🤝 Meeting
The hall hosts celebrations, social groups and community events. After a service people often meet for a shared drink and snack, so friendships and a sense of belonging grow.
📚 Study
Adults and teenagers study the Tanakh and Talmud in classes and discussion groups. This is why the synagogue can be called a house of study.
Why the synagogue matters for Jews today
Jews have often lived as small minorities, in many countries. The synagogue has kept them together, passing on the Torah, the Hebrew language and Jewish identity. Jews differ about how much it matters. Some attend every Shabbat and see worship in a minyan as a duty. Others, including many less religious Jews, visit mainly for festivals, family occasions or community life.
Common mistakes
Do not say the ark is "the Ark of the Covenant": the synagogue ark is named after it. Do not say the Sefer Torah is printed: it is handwritten. Do not say all synagogues look the same inside: describe Orthodox and Progressive layouts. Do not just list features; say why each matters to Jews.
Exam-style question
(a) Outline two features of a synagogue. [4 marks]
(b) Explain why the Sefer Torah is important in a synagogue. [6 marks]
(c) "All synagogues should be designed in the same way." Discuss this statement, considering the arguments for and against. In your answer you should include reference to teachings, other points of view and your own opinion. [10 marks]
Model answer
(a) One feature is the aron hakodesh, the ark (1), a cupboard on the wall facing Jerusalem which holds the Torah scrolls (1). Another is the ner tamid (1), a lamp that is always lit in front of the ark which symbolises the Almighty's ever-present care (1).
(b) The Sefer Torah is a handwritten scroll of the five books of the Torah (1). Jews believe it contains the Almighty's teachings and commandments, so it is the most important thing in the synagogue (1). Because of this it is treated with great respect (1): it is written by a trained scribe, dressed in a mantle and crown, and read with a yad so that fingers do not touch the parchment (1). Reading from it is the high point of the service, so it brings the community together to hear the Almighty's word (1). It is also carried in procession and kept in the ark, which shows how holy it is, and this reminds Jews of their covenant (1).
(c) Plan. For: all synagogues should face Jerusalem and keep the ark, the Sefer Torah, the ner tamid and the bimah, because these express shared beliefs and let Jews worship together; the tradition of no images of people (linked to Exodus 20:4) is followed by most synagogues; a common pattern would make any Jew feel at home anywhere. Against: Judaism has no rule about the outside shape, and communities build to suit their country and size; Orthodox Jews believe men and women have different roles, so they sit separately with the bimah in the centre, while Progressive Jews believe in equality and sit together with the bimah at the front, so one design could not suit both; the Torah is the same in all, but how it is read differs; a simple hall can be as holy as a grand building. Possible conclusion: the key features should be the same because they express shared beliefs, but the layout and decoration can differ because Jews understand worship in different ways.
Exam tip
In "Discuss" answers on a synagogue, name an Orthodox and a Progressive layout as your different points of view, and finish with your own reasoned opinion.