Synagogical Liturgy; its Origins, Structure, and Development

Synagogical liturgy is integral primarily to the institution of synagogue, and is besides linked with two others: the Jerusalem Temple and chavura (hebr. for community).

The article offers a synthetic account of the origins and structure of synagogical liturgy at its various stages of development. It fi rst shows its historical background from the socalled second temple to local synagogical rites in the early modern period (the Middle Ages saw its greatest formative processes), then the role of the Torah and its interpretations in synagogical liturgy, and fi nally its transformations infl uenced by haskalah (Jewish enlightenment) from the second half of the 18th century.

Synagogical liturgy is integral primarily to the institution of synagogue, and is besides linked with two others: the Jerusalem Temple and chavura (hebr. for community).

The article offers a synthetic account of the origins and structure of synagogical liturgy at its various stages of development. It fi rst shows its historical background from the socalled second temple to local synagogical rites in the early modern period (the Middle Ages saw its greatest formative processes), then the role of the Torah and its interpretations in synagogical liturgy, and fi nally its transformations infl uenced by haskalah (Jewish enlightenment) from the second half of the 18th century.