The synagogue as centre of worship and community

The word synagogue comes from Greek and means roughly to bring together or house of assembly. Jews have several names for it, and each one tells you something about what happens inside:

• Beit Knesset — house of assembly. It is where the community meets.
• Beit Tefillah — house of prayer. Communal services are held here.
• Beit Midrash — house of study. Torah is learned and taught here.
• Shul — the Yiddish word many Ashkenazi Jews use; it literally means school.

After the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem in 70 CE, Jews could no longer offer sacrifices. Prayer, study and community life took the place of Temple sacrifice, and the synagogue became the centre of Jewish religious life.

Exam tip: the syllabus asks about the synagogue as a centre of worship and as the centre of the community. Do not stop at prayer — a synagogue also runs a cheder (religion school), youth groups, charity collections, welfare for the elderly, weddings, funerals and social events.

Why 'house of assembly'?

Inside a synagogue

Every synagogue looks different, but the syllabus wants you to know these features and why they matter:

• Aron ha-kodesh (Holy Ark) — the cupboard, usually on the wall facing Jerusalem, holding the Torah scrolls. It recalls the Ark of the Covenant in the Temple, so it is the holiest point in the building.
• Sefer Torah — handwritten scrolls of the Torah, dressed in a mantle, often with a silver crown and breastplate.
• Bimah — the raised platform or desk from which the Torah is read, so the whole congregation can hear.
• Ner tamid (eternal light) — a lamp above the Ark that is never allowed to go out, recalling the light kept burning in the Temple and symbolising G-d's continual presence.
• Ten Commandments — often shown as two stone tablets above the Ark, a reminder of the covenant at Sinai.
• Menorah — the seven-branched candlestick, a symbol of the Temple and of the light of Torah.
• Magen David (Star or Shield of David) — a widely used symbol of Jewish identity and of the Jewish people.
• No images of G-d, no statues of people and no pictures of people — because G-d has no body and the commandment forbids graven images.

Where do people sit?

The syllabus asks specifically about the arrangements for the seating of women and men in different Jewish traditions. This is a good place to show the examiner that you know Judaism is not one single thing.

• Orthodox synagogues seat men and women separately, divided by a screen or balcony called a mechitzah. The reasoning given is that worshippers should be able to concentrate fully on prayer, and that the arrangement follows long-standing tradition and the pattern of the Temple courts.
• Reform, Liberal and Progressive synagogues seat men and women together. The reasoning given is that men and women are equal before G-d, that families should worship as families, and that separation reflects the customs of past societies rather than a command of G-d.
• Masorti / Conservative communities vary; many are fully egalitarian while keeping a traditional style of service.

Do not caricature either side. Orthodox women are not "banned" from the synagogue — they attend, and in many communities the women's section is busy and central to synagogue life. Equally, Reform Jews are not being "lazy" about tradition; they argue from a theological principle about equality. Marks come from explaining reasons, not from picking a winner.

The lamp that never goes out

Artefacts used in worship

These objects are used both in the synagogue and in the home — in Judaism, the home is itself a place of worship.

• Copies of the Sefer Torah — the scrolls are handwritten on parchment by a trained scribe (a sofer). A single mistake means the column must be corrected or replaced. This care shows how holy the text is.
• Shabbat candles — at least two, lit in the home before sunset on Friday, traditionally by the woman of the household. They mark the moment Shabbat begins and bring light and peace into the home.
• Challah — plaited loaves. Two are placed on the Shabbat table, recalling the double portion of manna that the Israelites gathered before Shabbat in the wilderness. They are covered with a cloth until after the Kiddush.
• Kiddush cup — a special cup of wine over which the Kiddush (sanctification) blessing is said, setting Shabbat and festivals apart as holy.
• Mikvah — a pool of natural, "living" water used for ritual immersion, for example before marriage, on conversion to Judaism, and (in Orthodox practice) by married women as part of the laws of family purity. Utensils may also be immersed. It marks a change of status and spiritual readiness, not physical dirt.
• Mezuzah — a small case fixed to the doorpost containing a tiny scroll with the words of the Shema. Many Jews touch it and then kiss their fingers as they pass.

Why a mezuzah? Because the Shema itself commands it: "and you shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates" (Deuteronomy 6:9). Every time a Jew enters or leaves, they are reminded of the oneness of G-d.

Ritual dress and what it means

Jewish ritual dress is not decoration. Each item is a physical reminder of a commandment.

• Tallit (prayer shawl) — a rectangular shawl with tzitzit, knotted tassels, at its four corners. It is worn for morning prayer. Wearing it is a response to Numbers 15:37–41, where the Israelites are told to make tassels on the corners of their garments and to look at them and remember all the commandments. The tzitzit are traditionally linked to the 613 mitzvot of the Torah, so the fringes are a walking reminder of the whole law.
• Tefillin (phylacteries) — two small black leather boxes containing scriptural passages, bound with straps to the upper arm (next to the heart) and to the forehead (over the mind). They are worn for weekday morning prayer, and they act out Deuteronomy 6:8: "bind them as a sign on your hand, and let them be an emblem on your forehead." Heart, mind and hand are all committed to G-d.
• Kippah / yarmulke (skull cap) — a head covering worn as a sign of respect and of yirat shamayim, awe of Heaven: something is always above you.

Who wears what, and when?

The syllabus explicitly asks for different views about when ritual dress is worn and who wears it. This is examinable knowledge, not an optional extra.

• Orthodox: tallit and tefillin are worn by men (tallit usually from bar mitzvah or from marriage, depending on custom). Many Orthodox men wear a kippah at all times, not only for prayer. Married Orthodox women often cover their hair with a scarf, hat or wig, but do not usually wear tallit or tefillin.
• Reform and Liberal: women as well as men may wear a kippah and a tallit, and some women wear tefillin, because these communities hold that the commandments belong equally to everyone.
• Some Jews wear a kippah only in the synagogue or at meals; others wear one all day as a public statement of Jewish identity.
• Tefillin are traditionally not worn on Shabbat or festivals, because Shabbat is itself the sign of the covenant and needs no other sign.

Where does it belong?

Tap an item, then tap the group it belongs to.

Heart, mind and hand

Public worship and private prayer

Jews pray both with the community and alone. The syllabus wants both, and wants you to be able to argue about their relative importance.

• The minyan — the quorum of ten adults required before certain public prayers may be said, including the Kaddish and the public reading of the Torah. In Orthodox communities the minyan is ten adult men; in Reform, Liberal and most Masorti communities any ten adults count. The idea behind it is that some holy things can only happen in a community, not alone.
• Communal prayer happens in the synagogue and also in the home — the Shabbat table, the Pesach Seder and the shiva house are all communal worship.
• Daily private prayer — traditionally three services a day: Shacharit (morning), Minchah (afternoon) and Ma'ariv (evening). Many Jews also say the Shema on waking and before sleeping, and blessings before and after food.
• Study of the Torah is itself an act of worship. It happens in the synagogue's Beit Midrash, in study groups (chavruta, learning in pairs), and privately at home.

Respect for the scrolls (J1.5g): the scroll is never touched with bare hands — the reader follows the text with a pointer called a yad (hand). The congregation stands when the Ark is open. Worn-out or damaged scrolls are not thrown away but buried, like a person. If a scroll is dropped, it is customary for those present to fast.

Why ten?

The celebration of Shabbat

Shabbat runs from sunset on Friday to nightfall on Saturday. It is a day of rest, joy and worship, rooted in the fourth commandment: "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy" (Exodus 20:8), which links the day to G-d resting after Creation.

In the home — Friday evening:

• The house is cleaned, food is cooked in advance (no cooking on Shabbat itself), and the table is laid with a white cloth.
• Shabbat is welcomed in as a bride or queen. Two candles are lit, traditionally by the woman of the house, and a blessing is said.
• Kiddush is recited over a cup of wine, sanctifying the day. Children are blessed by their parents.
• Hands are washed, the blessing over bread is said, and the two challah loaves are uncovered, cut or torn, salted and shared.

In the synagogue — Saturday morning: the main service includes the Kiddush and other blessings, prayers, the reading of the weekly portion (the sidrah) from the Sefer Torah, and a sermon from the rabbi.

Havdalah — the ending: havdalah means division. On Saturday night, a plaited candle with several wicks is lit, blessings are said over wine, over sweet spices in a spice box (so the sweetness of Shabbat is carried into the week), and over the light. The candle is then extinguished in the wine. It marks the division between the holy and the ordinary, between Shabbat and the six working days.

Shabbat: item and meaning

Tap an item on the left, then its meaning on the right.

The end of Shabbat

Rabbi and chazan

• Rabbi — the word means my teacher or my master. A rabbi is not a priest and does not stand between the worshipper and G-d; any competent adult may lead a service. A rabbi is a scholar and teacher, trained for years in Jewish law and text, who teaches, preaches the sermon, gives rulings on Jewish law, prepares young people for bar and bat mitzvah, conducts weddings and funerals, counsels the bereaved and represents the community to the outside world.
• Chazan (cantor) — the person who leads the congregation in sung prayer. Jewish liturgy is chanted, and the chazan carries the melody, sets the mood and enables the whole congregation to join in. In many communities the chazan is also trained to chant the Torah with the correct traditional cantillation.

Different views: Orthodox communities ordain only men as rabbis. Reform, Liberal and Masorti communities ordain women as rabbis — Sally Priesand was ordained in the United States in 1972, and Jackie Tabick became the first woman ordained as a rabbi in Britain in 1975. Some Orthodox communities have created new roles for learned women (for example advisers on Jewish law) without using the title rabbi. In many small congregations there is no salaried rabbi or chazan at all, and lay members lead the service.

Who does what?

"Public worship is more important than private prayer." Discuss.

Paper 1 asks you to discuss and to refer to more than one point of view. Here is how you might build both sides for J1.

Reaching a judgement: the strongest answers refuse the false choice and explain why — in Judaism the synagogue and the home are two halves of one practice, and most Jews would say the two feed each other. Then say which you find more convincing, and give a reason.

The big ideas to know

You have now covered every bullet of J1 Worship. Press Finish to see your score.