PREPARATION FOR JEWISH DIVINE SERVICES
The principal Jewish service is the Sabbath service. As Jewish Sabbath
services are held on Friday night or Saturday morning, they seldom conflict
with other scheduled divine services. This is also true of Jewish holiday
observances. The Jewish Sabbath begins at sundown on Friday evening and
lasts until sundown Saturday evening.
The Jewish Chancel Arrangement
The items which are used for Jewish divine services ashore are essentially
the same as those found in the Jewish chaplain’s field kit—only more
elaborate. The chancel of a Navy chapel which has been rigged for Jewish
worship should be similar in appearance to the chancel described in the
following paragraphs (see figure 3-19) and should contain the following
items:
AN ARK (ARON HA-KODESH) AND TORAH SCROLLS.—As stated
earlier in this chapter, the ark is a repository for the Jewish Torah Scrolls (see
figure 3-20). It is a closet-type cabinet which is set in or against the wall of the
chapel facility. Many military chapels have built-in arks; otherwise, an ark
may be constructed or purchased. If the ark which your command uses is a
large freestanding ark, you should center it against the back wall of the
chancel/sanctuary area. The Torah Scroll is kept in the ark. The Torah
Scroll is a handwritten Hebrew scroll containing the first five books of the
Bible. The Torah Scroll should be safeguarded. NOTE: In addition to being
a sacred Jewish item, the replacement of a handwritten parchment Torah can
cost between ,000 and ,000. A Torah Scroll should always be secured
when not in use. Procedures for the care and handling of the Torah Scroll
may vary, therefore, this should be discussed with the rabbi beforehand. A
yad (a metal pointer about 9 inches long) is used by the reader of the Torah.
The yad (see figure 3-21) is kept in the ark with the Torah. Often it is
attached to the Torah by a chain.
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