Sunday, 14 February 2016

Jewish Space

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We have recently uploaded onto our website a sermon I preached at Beit Simcha, all about Jewish space.

So with all the variety of Jewish customs and creativity, Jewish space has a wide variety. That means we can be creative. Nevertheless, Jewish space has core of common elements, which can be traced back to the origins of the Synagogue, and even before the Synagogue, the Tabernacle.

Although very much speaking into our own community at Beit Simcha, I believe that this sermon can go beyond into your community and your congregation, as I talk about the origins and meanings of our traditions:

What do we call it when our chazzan (cantor) calls someone up to read from the Torah? Aliyah comes from a verb meaning going up. One goes up a step or two onto the bema to read the scroll.

You can download the sermon and listen to it, or read the transcript here. And when you have digested it, come back and leave a comment to let us know how you create Jewish space creatively!