Question: Is it permitted for a Jew to buy a house that used to be a synagogue?

Answer: The laws regarding the purchase of and living in a structure that used to be a synagogue are somewhat complicated. A synagogue is considered a holy place, and one is not allowed to use it for mundane purposes. Once that holiness is “infused” into the structure, it remains forever and can only be removed in particular ways.

An example where one might be lenient is when the synagogue is sold with the intention of using the money for the performance of a greater mitzvah. In such a case, the holiness that permeated the structure of the synagogue is transferred to the money which may then be used for the bigger mitzvah, and the structure is then considered freed of its sanctity.

At the same time, one may not sell the synagogue to be used for something repugnant or profane, such as a public bathroom. There are also those who maintain that it is preferable to seal off the actual area where the Holy Ark that contained the Torah scroll was and not use that place at all.

There are other ways for a shul to be sold as well, but it would be too complicated to go through all the possibilities here. In order to answer your question one would need to know a little bit more about the circumstances of the sale of the synagogue, who sold it, why it was sold, who it was sold to, etc.

I hope this was helpful for you.

All the best,
Rabbi Moshe Rosenstein