The Emergence of the Torah Ark from Antiquity to the Seventeenth Century

Abstract

This chapter discusses the major function of the synagogue from the ancient period until the present as a 'little sanctuary' and a somewhat substitute for the Temple. It explains how a synagogue is seen as the abode of the Divine Presence, in which the concept was expressed by the sages in the talmudic literature and became embedded in the Jewish tradition. It also cites the physical building of the synagogue that serve as a replacement in the absence of the Temple, which made the entire manner of worship to undergo fundamental change. The chapter reviews practices, such as sounding the shofar or the procession with the Four Species, that were performed in the synagogue instead of the Temple. It mentions points out how daily worship of animal sacrifice being performed on the altar was replaced by the reading of Torah and reciting of prayers.