Guide
The Sanctity of the Synagogue in the Shadow of the Temple
By Carol Bakhos
God’s presence was thought to reside in the First Temple, although it was considered absent from the Second Temple. Many of these texts, however, echo restrictions governing the Temple grounds in their regulation of synagogue space, suggesting that their authors viewed God as residing in the synagogue. John Chrysostom, the fourth-century church father of Antioch, railed against Christian synagogue attendance; the passage included below illustrates that the synagogue included Torah scrolls and the books of the prophets.
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A Synagogue Is Polluted
The next day was a Sabbath, and the Jews assembling at the synagogue found one of the local opposition sacrificing birds on an upturned pot beside the entrance. The Jews were enraged at what they saw…
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Treating the Synagogue as Part of the Temple
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Sanctifying Objects for Use in the Synagogue
14. One who makes a candelabrum or a lamp for a synagogue: until the name of the owners has been forgotten from them, it is not permitted to change them for another purpose; once the name of the…
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Prayer Is like Sacrifice
R. Phineas in the name of R. Hoshaiah: He who prays in the synagogue is as if he had sacrificed a pure flour offering. What is the reason? As the children of Israel bring flour offering in a pure…
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Prohibition on Building a Synagogue as a Model of the Temple
As it is taught [in a baraita]: A person [may] not construct a house [in the exact] form of the Sanctuary, [nor] a portico in [the exact] form of the Entrance Hall [of the Sanctuary, nor] a courtyard…