Words to Know

The great stone building in Jerusalem where Jewish prayers were offered long ago. Jewish tradition tells that the First Temple was built around 3,000 years ago; the Second Temple was later destroyed by the Romans in 70 CE, an event recorded by historians. The Temple has not been rebuilt since.

A building where Jewish people meet to pray, read the Torah, and gather. The word means "gathering" or "assembly" in Greek. The Hebrew word for it is beit knesset ("house of meeting").

The first five books of the Hebrew Bible. A Torah is always handwritten by a trained scribe on a long parchment scroll. It takes about a year to write one.

The city in present-day Israel where the First and Second Temples stood. Jerusalem is the holiest city in Judaism. Most synagogues in the world are built to face toward Jerusalem.

The cabinet that holds the Torah scrolls inside a synagogue. In most synagogues the ark stands against the wall that faces Jerusalem.

The raised platform inside a synagogue where the Torah is read aloud. In some synagogues the bimah is in the middle of the room; in others it is at the front near the ark.

A lamp that hangs above the ark in most synagogues, kept lit day and night. The name means "eternal light." It recalls the lamp kept burning in the ancient Temple.

A small case on the doorpost of many Jewish homes and most synagogues, holding a tiny scroll. It marks the entrance. Many people touch it as they pass through the door.