The great stone building in Jerusalem where priests served and families brought offerings, long ago. There were two Temples, and the Romans destroyed the second one in 70 CE.
Jerusalem
The city in the land of Israel where the First and Second Temples stood. Most synagogues are built to face toward it.
Exile
Being forced to live far from your homeland. After 586 BCE, the Babylonians took many Jewish families to live in Babylon.
BCE and CE
BCE years come before the year 1, and the bigger the number, the longer ago. CE years count up from the year 1, the way we count today.
Synagogue
In Hebrew, beit knesset (bayt k’NESS-et)
A building where Jewish people meet to pray, read the Torah, and gather. Both names mean a gathering or a house of meeting.
Torah
TOH-rah
The first five books of the Hebrew Bible. A Torah scroll is written by hand by a trained scribe.
Ark
In Hebrew, aron kodesh (ah-ROHN KOH-desh)
The cabinet that holds the Torah scrolls. In most synagogues it stands on the wall that faces Jerusalem.
Bimah
BEE-mah
The raised platform where the Torah is read aloud. Some synagogues have it in the middle of the room, and some at the front.
Ner Tamid
NAYR tah-MEED
A lamp above the ark, kept lit day and night, like the lamp kept burning in the ancient Temple. The name means “eternal light.”
Mezuzah
meh-ZOO-zah
A small case on the doorpost of many Jewish homes and most synagogues. It holds a tiny handwritten scroll.
For families: Try these words at home. Read a definition out loud and ask your child to name the word. Or ask your child to teach you one. Children remember a word better when they explain it to someone else.
K–5 Lesson