CCAR RESPONSA
American Reform Responsa
18. Orientation of the Synagogue
(1979)
QUESTION: Must a synagogue face east? Should the Ark of the Torah be in the east wall? Must the entrance be on the eastern side of the building? Is any other orientation of the synagogue possible?
ANSWER: We can best deal with this question by turning to archaeology, as well as to the traditional literature. The literary source for turning eastward comes from the Book of Daniel (6:11): “Now his windows were open in his upper chamber towards Jerusalem and he knelt upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God as he did afore-time.” This verse led to synagogues being oriented toward Jerusalem and to the placement of windows or portals on the Jerusalem side of the building (Ber. 31a, 34b). Here we have an insistence that the site of prayer, which was interpreted to include private homes and synagogues, needed windows. Additional emphasis on orientation of worship is provided by the Tosefta (Meg. IV.21), which stated that the Ark should be set in front of the people with its back toward the Temple in Jerusalem. This statement, of course, referred to those early days when the Ark was not yet permanently placed in the synagogue, but was carried in and out; therefore, the congregation was to remain within the synagogue until the Ark with the Torah scrolls had been removed (Sota 39b). The orientation toward Jerusalem has been stressed in the Mishna and Talmud repeatedly so that if one is riding and cannot dismount one should at least direct one’s eyes or one’s heart toward Jerusalem (Mishna, Ber. IV.5; Ber. 30a; J. Ber. IV.5). The general rule is that outside of Israel, one should turn toward Israel; in Israel toward Jerusalem; in Jerusalem toward the Temple. Maimonides has codified (Yad, Hil. Tefila XI.l; Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 150.5) that the Ark should be placed in the direction of Jerusalem and opposite the entrance. This has meant that synagogues in North Africa, Europe, and America have usually faced east, while those of Babylonia and Asia Minor have faced west. We can see this clearly in the third-century synagogue of Dura Europos on the Euphrates, which had its entrance in the east and a niche for the Ark in the western wall.
Although this orientation became dominant, we should remember that there was a period when it had not yet been fixed, so we find the Talmudic statements of Rabbis Oshaia and Ishmael, which state that there is no orientation at the time of prayer, as the Divine Spirit is everywhere (B.B. 25a). We also find various midrashim which deal with the orientation of the worshiper during prayer; for example, he might face north for wealth or south or wisdom. This would account for various synagogues in Israel being oriented differently, for that could not have been done purely on topographical grounds. These synagogues would also comply with the statement in the Tosefta: “Synagogue gates should open toward the east as did the gates of the Tent of Meeting” (Num. 2:2,3; Tos., Meg. IV.22). Following the destruction of the Temple, the Tent of Meeting may have been taken as a model for the synagogue building. Landsberger (“The Sacred Direction in Synagogue and Church,” The Synagogue,ed. Gutmann, p. 188ff) used this explanation to interpret the wide variety of orientation of synagogues in Israel and in Jordan. In the city of Ostia in Italy, we find a synagogue, later remodeled, that originally had its entrance in the eastern wall. After the Ark was installed in the east side, according to the new style, the entrance could no longer be moved to the opposite side, and remained beside the Ark. In the case of Beit Shearim in Israel, one of the entrance doors was blocked and remodeled into an Ark, while the portals on both sides remained as entrances. In later synagogues, such awkward arrangements were avoided.
Occasional efforts were made in various sections of Europe to orient the synagogue more precisely toward Jerusalem, and therefore a number of these synagogues face south rather than eastward. This led to considerable controversy about the orientation of the synagogue, whether it should be changed and in which direction the worshippers should actually face (Judah Altman, Mei Yehuda, #17; Naftali Zvi Berlin, Meshiv Davar 1.10; Sede Chemed, Ma-arechet Beit Hakeneset, #42; Ba-er Neitev to Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim, #94). The last source cites two responsa which came to totally opposing conclusions.
After the Ark became a permanent part of the synagogue, it was placed in the eastern wall, as mentioned earlier. In most of the early synagogues of Israel, the niche in the eastern wall served as a temporary place for the Torah. It was without doors or coverings of any kind. Sometimes it was decorated with a painting of the Temple to show the intent of the orientation.
Modern synagogues have sometimes gone to great lengths in order to face eastward. For example, the B’nai Israel Synagogue in Pittsburgh (A. Sharove and H. Hornbostel, Architects, 1923-24) has its entrance in the east, which is followed by circular rising interior walkways which lead to the actual synagogue. The Ark is placed above exterior doorways within the building. The Spanish-Portuguese Synagogue on Central Park in New York built an elaborate facade on its eastern street front, but without an entrance, so that this side of the building, used for the Ark, would remain unbroken.
In most cases, an orientation toward the east or toward the southeast is possible with the entrance in the west. If that is not possible, the entrance may be on any other side. If it is absolutely impossible to build or reconstruct in this manner, then the worshiper would simply orient his heart toward Jerusalem (Shulchan Aruch, Orach Chayim 94.2).
We may, therefore, conclude that synagogues should be oriented east or south in accordance with tradition, whenever this is possible. This would express our spiritual unity with the Jewish people throughout history and our love for Jerusalem and Israel.
Walter Jacob, Chairman
Leonard S. Kravitz
Eugene Lipman
W. Gunther Plaut
Harry A. Roth
Rav A. Soloff
Bernard Zlotowitz
If needed, please consult Abbreviations used in CCAR Responsa.