Understanding Judaism

Religion is a set of viewpoints, which differs depending on the ethnicity and traditions, which connects humans spiritually and morally. For my site visit I attended Temple Solel, which is a Jewish synagogue located at in Hollywood, Florida. In an effort to please my interest about the practices, beliefs, and traditions of the Jewish religion I took 3 visits to this temple. This project was an chance to see the insights of a religious practice and experience a unfamiliar perception of worshipping in an different environment. I grew up in a Catholic house hold. My parents are not religious and we did not attend church on a regular basis. This assignment actually gave me a chance to look into my own religion, to get a better understanding

As early as the 8th century BCE, Judaism's beliefs, practices, and history have been documented in the Hebrew Bible or also known as Talmud. Just like Catholics they are monotheistic. The synagogue became the axis mundi and central point of the Jewish life after the destruction of the Temple of Jerusalem. Jewish life is rich in customs and traditions, ceremonies and holidays, which honor the past, rejoice the present, and express optimism for the upcoming future. In 1763, the first recorded Jews in Florida came to Pensacola. As of 2013, the Jewish population of Florida is about 750,000. South Florida has the single largest concentration of outside of Israel. the Jewish community continues to expand and flourish through out florida. Jewish influence in Florida continues to be a piece of everyday life and Jews continue to put in and contribute to their

The architecture of this synagogue was very unfamiliar. It featured many large stained glass windows, both for light and for artistic and spiritual effect. The Talmud also obliges that synagogues always have windows (BT Berakhot 31a). I was told by one of the members of the church that the windows are specially designed to edify them that during their prayers they must be conscious of the outside world. This architectural pattern was not always enforced. At some point windows in a synagogue were a problem because they believed the prayers might be heard and considered an affront to non-Jews. The interior of the synagogue was somewhat simple and well-designed. The Bimah was the most outstanding and eye catching object, located in the middle of synagogue. This was a raised platform on which the Torah was read. This boldly highlighted the main and essential role of Torah in the synagogue worship. Another very prominent object in the sanctuary was the Aron ha-kodesh, the holy ark, where in the Torah scrolls were kept The doors of the ark were decorated with lions and plaques with the Ten Commandments. It also had these curtains that are known as Parokhet. Another part of the snacutary that was very beautiful was the eternal light. This was made of sterling silver dangled in face of the ark and burned constantly. This light symbolizes the holy illumination and enlightenment which is forever