Cantor Benny Rogosnitzky Discusses the Importance of the Synagogue in Modern Day Judaism

Source: https://w3.chabad.org/

The synagogue is a place of worship for members of the Jewish faith, making it an integral part of modern-day Judaism. But it also serves as a place of study and a de facto community center for people of the Jewish faith in local communities. Synagogues have been an important part of the Jewish faith for thousands of years with dated evidence of synagogues since the 3rd century BCE. Synagogue services are typically led by a rabbi, but in some cases are also led by a cantor or other member of the congregation. Cantor Benny Rogosnitzky is the Cantor of the prestigious Park East Synagogue on the Upper East Side of Manhattan in New York City. Today, he not only serves as Cantor at the Park East Synagogue, but lectures on Cantorial music and its application to prayer and is involved in many charitable organizations around the world. Thus, Cantor Benny Rogosnitzky is perfectly poised to explain the importance of the synagogue in modern day Judaism.

 

The Synagogue as a Place of Worship

Cantor Benny Rogosnitzky asserts that the importance of the synagogue in modern day Judaism lies in its ability to bring the congregation closer to God. At the base level, the synagogue acts as a house of prayer, a place for Jewish people to come and worship. While people of the Jewish faith can pray from any location, certain prayers can only be recited in the presence of others. Further, the religion teaches its members that there are greater benefits to be derived from praying in a communal setting. Depending on the denomination of Judaism, men and women might be required to sit on separate sides of the synagogue during a religious service. In an Orthodox synagogue, men and women are separated and it is required that everyone aside from girls and those who are not married to have their head covered.

 

The Synagogue as a Place of Study

According to Cantor Benny Rogosnitzky, the original purpose of the synagogue was a place of Jewish study. The first rabbis did not lead religious services, but rather taught students about the religious texts. It was not until 70 CE, when the Holy Temple was destroyed, that the synagogue came to serve as a site for communal prayer or worship. Although the synagogue is first and foremost considered a place of worship in the present day, it continues to serve an educational function. Rabbis and cantors often take on a wide range of roles beyond their religious duties. For example, depending on the synagogue, a cantor may train people of all ages in the musical traditions of Judaism, or they may even teach newer congregation members how to participate in prayer. Another form of study that occurs within a Synagogue is the teaching of bar/bat mitzvah students to read from the Torah. Cantor Benny Rogosnitzky is quick to note that Jewish education does not end at the age of bar/bat mitzvah. Rather, the study of Jewish texts is a life-long educational journey. The educational role of the synagogue has grown to be so important that some synagogues now have a Director of Education position. The Director of Education within a synagogue is responsible for a range of informal and formal education programs usually centered on the youth in the community. This new position is a true testament to how important the education of children and adults is within the synagogue, shares Cantor Benny Rogosnitzky.

 

The Synagogue as a Community Centre

As mentioned earlier, the synagogue also serves as a de facto community center in the modern day. According to Cantor Benny Rogosnitzky, synagogues have grown to become the social and cultural institutions where members of the congregation are encouraged to gather for an array of religious and non-religious activities. That is why many modern synagogues are built to include a range of facilities, including a school, a kosher kitchen, a library, and a day care center. Many synagogues also include a social hall that can even be rented for events. For some communities, the synagogue will also function as a town hall where issues within the Jewish community can be raised and addressed. Further, Cantor Benny Rogosnitzky claims that the synagogue is vital to the community at-large due its role as a social welfare agency. Synagogues often collect and then donate money and items such as clothing and food in order to help the ill or poor within both the Jewish and local communities.

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