The Synagogue
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Seeing Eye Dog in the Shul
If a blind person travels by dog is he alowed to take the dog inside the shul? This question was once posed to the great sage Rabbi Moshe Feinstein ob”m and he answered that it is permitted. Rabbi Yimiyahu Benyowitz
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Less than 10 men
What if anything does the Torah and/or commentators say about opening up the ark and counting the Torah as one of the ten men required for conducting services? An opinion in the Talmud (Berachos 47b) suggests that 9 plus a…
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Women’s Voting
Please tell me the halachic basis for granting/denying voting rights to women in an Orthodox synagogue. Hi, Thank you for the question. In terms of halachic (legal) reasoning for allowing women to vote in shul elections there is no reason…
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Marriage and Synagogues
Is it a requirement for a member of the synagogue to be married? I have heard people say that a Rabbi should have a wife before becoming Rabbi. One does not have to be married to belong to an orthodox…
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Men and Women in the Synagogue
Why are men and women separated in Orthodox synagogues? Answer: According to many authorities, the source for separate seating in synagogues can be found in the design of the Temple in Jerusalem (destroyed in the year 68). The Talmud relates…
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The Placement of the Bimah
Is the custom of situating the bimah on the eastern wall of a synagogue a custom or merely a custom or is it a requirement? Interestingly, there are actually two components to a synagogue which serve as the center of…
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Aliyot and Haftorah
Each Shabbat every synagogue gives aliyot for Torah readings starting with Cohain etc. What is the reason behind the aliyot and why are they done in the particular order. e.g. Cohain, Levi etc ending with Maftir. The seven Aliyot represent…