Helene Ferris

What Is the Purpose of the Synagogue?

D'Var Torah By: Rabbi Jonathan E. Blake

The Hebrew term for synagogue is beit k'neset. It means "house of assembly" and thus approximates the Greek word ' synagoge' which also means "assembly." For centuries, the synagogue functioned primarily as the ancient world's idea of a "JCC," a place for Jews to assemble. These institutions dotted the Jewish