A. A Shul (pronounced SHOOL) is a synagogue. The word “shul” comes from the same root word for school: the Old German schule, or place of learning, a throwback to the days when synagogues doubled as community Torah learning centers (as many do today, though informally).

B. The shul is a holy place. The Divine Presence is accessible in a shul, and prayers recited in the shul are answered more readily than prayers uttered elsewhere. Therefore, when in the confines of the shul, it is imperative to preserve the sanctity of the shul by behaving respectfully at all times.

C. A shul’s centerpiece is the Aron kodesh, or holy ark, containing the Torah scrolls. The ark is usually ornately decorated with intricate woodwork and gold-trimmed, tapestry-like curtains, and placed along the easternmost wall of the main room, the sanctuary. This is because prayers must be said facing the Western Wall in Jerusalem—which is east in most Jewish-populated countries. Often, the aron sits on a raised platform, to lend it honor and prominence, like a judge’s bench in a courtroom. Directly in front of the aron stands the podium for the chazan (cantor), though it is oft-times to one side. Filling the rest of the room are congregational seating arrangements—chairs or the traditional pews, and the Bimah—the large, velvet-decked table upon which the Torah scroll is opened and read four times weekly and on holidays—in the center. Along other walls one will find bookcases holding prayer books, chumashim (the Five Books of Moses), and other Jewish books.

D. Hear ye, hear ye! There are many Mitzvahs associated with the good ol’ shul. Funding a shul’s decor is a Mitzvah, and generally, the more decorative the furnishings, the greater the Mitzvah. The secondary obligation of a Jewish community as a whole finances-wise is to construct for itself a shul (building a Mikvah comes first). And as with the decor, donating the various construction and interior decorating costs of the shul itself is a great Mitzvah. On the flip side, destroying a shul is a Torah prohibition: if a shul must be removed, it must be dismantled carefully, not bulldozed. Any sacred Jewish object or item, for that matter, such as Jewish books, must also not be destroyed.

What do I do inside a shul?

1. Pray

Jews go to shul for Tefillah, commonly known as prayer, which, of course, also means connection. The three regular daily prayer services are held at shuls in every Jewish community, every day, and on Shabbat and Jewish holidays too. Yom Kippur is a biggie, usually seeing more attendees stream out of the woods and through the front doors than any other occasion throughout the year. Prayers are held with a Minyan (a quorum of ten adult males) and led by a chazan who keeps everyone together.

2. Celebrate

Prayer isn’t the only use for a shul—Jewish holidays are celebrated there, too. There’s the blowing of the Shofar on Rosh Hashanah, the circling of the bimah with the Lulav and Etrog on Sukkot, and some pretty snappy dancing on Shmini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. The community gathers there at Chanukah to light the Menorah, at Purim to hear the reading of the Megillah, on Pesach for a community Seder, and on Shavuot to commemorate the giving of the Torah.

3. Socialize

Throughout the centuries, the shul was the nerve center of the Jewish community. Each morning, and after a hard day’s work, the menfolk gathered for the three daily services. Before and after each, if they had a few seconds, they no doubt did the water-cooler thing: talk! Some things never change—the shul is still a community linchpin as much as it is a haven for the sacred. Whenever Jews gather at shul, whether for services or special occasions (Brit, Bar Mitzvah, wedding), they share their triumphs, tragedies, and authoritative opinions on the daily news. People make new friends, catch up with old ones, discuss and debate. Any shul event is a community event, and when the community comes together, the words flow.