The synagogue space in which Jews worshiped was treated as sacred space. Worshipers gathered around the symbols that spoke of God's redeeming and revealing activity among them.
Synagogue worship was organized around two foci. The first focus of the synagogue was the ark. Everyone, including the rabbi, who sat at the back, looked toward the ark. The original ark was the most holy symbol of the covenant and the only object ever admitted in the Holy of Holies of the temple. The ark, a kind of...
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