The Sanctuary of Temple Beth Ami reflects a number of important Jewish themes. Central to the design and concept of the Sanctuary is the Ark or Ahron Kodesh. While unique in its execution, the Ark is an element common to all synagogues. It houses the Torah Scrolls and its customary location on an Eastern wall helps to orient the congregation toward Jerusalem.
Our Ark portrays the historical and spiritual journey to Mt. Sinai and onto to the Land of Israel. The structure of the Ark recalls the Mishkan, or Tabernacle, which was the center of worship and celebration as our ancestors traveled through the desert. Drawing on descriptions found in the Torah (Exodus, Chapters 25 - 40), our Ark incorporates the concept of a sacred space that is to be entered by going around a screen. Our screen is made of three elements. The painted fresco on the left depicts the Column of Cloud and the one on the right, the Column of Fire. During forty years of wandering in the Sinai Desert, each manifested God’s guiding presence, leading our ancestors on their travels both day and night. The center element is a set of doors representing the Burning Bush from which God was revealed to Moses. The doors open, allowing each person to approach the Ark directly. When opened, the doors lay against the frescos, their respective silver and gold outline emphasizing the shapes within the frescos which are letters of the Hebrew alphabet.
The upper portion of the Ark has its own set of symbolic elements. The triangular shape is meant to suggest the peak of Mt. Sinai. In the center, the receding semicircles recall a design element found in 2nd /3rd century synagogues of Northern Israel. As in those Synagogues, an open space is left in the center of the design, symbolizing the path towards Jerusalem. Above the design is a verse of Torah (Deut 5:28): "V’Atah Po Amad ‘Emadi" - "And Now, You, Stand Here With Me." These are God’s words to Moses, calling him to approach the presence of the Eternal and receive the revelation of Torah. This verse was chosen to adorn the Ark to suggest that each person who enters the Sanctuary consider him/herself as approaching the presence of the divine whenever he/she is engaged in prayer, celebration or study. Above the verse burns the Ner Tamid or Eternal Light. This element is common to all Jewish synagogues and temples. Ours is a live flame burning within a sculpture representing the flames of the Eternal Light which was found in the Mishkan, its twelve tongues of flame representative of the Twelve Tribes of Israel. At the very peak, etched in glass, is a representation of Luchot HaBrit - the Tablets of the Covenant bearing the Ten Commandments. Revelation and covenant are the crowning elements in Jewish spiritual history.
It is our commitment to the tradition of Torah and Mitzvot that we celebrate and affirm in the design of our Sanctuary, in the character of our congregational life, and in our personal lives as Jewish men and women and that we share with each other as members of Temple Beth Ami.
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