Entrance
This entrance marks the approach to the prayer hall. The cited later Jewish architectural guide recommends a separate room or hallway so worshippers can prepare before entering; its partition walls are not illustrated here.
Key points
- The threshold prepares worshippers for communal prayer.
- Look for: An entrance leading into the gathering hall.
- Illustrated location: Entrance & Learning
- The Old Testament does not provide a synagogue blueprint. This selective model illustrates later Jewish furnishings for study, not a reconstruction of an Old Testament building or a complete plan of any congregation. The central bimah and separate front amud reflect one Ashkenazi arrangement; Sephardic and other communities differ. The ark curtain and eternal light also vary by custom. A separate vestibule, full Torah library, and the mechitzah used in Orthodox Jewish congregations are not illustrated. Dimensions, stonework, columns, seating, and decorative profiles are schematic.