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The custom of facing Jerusalem and the Temple
Mount while praying goes back to the biblical account of the prayers
of Solomon at the consecration ceremony of the Temple (1
Kings, viii. 38,
44,
48).
After the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 586 BCE, offerings
were replaced by prayers, recited while facing Jerusalem (Daniel,
vi. 10-11).
The custom of gathering for communal prayers in synagogues began
no later than during the 3rd century BCE, even before the second
Temple was destroyed in 70 CE. Ancient synagogues uncovered in various
countries had their most decorated wall in the direction of Jerusalem.
The synagogue on Masada (destroyed in 73 CE) shows that the congregation
faced Jerusalem when praying. The custom of facing Jerusalem was
given the status of an outright instruction in the Talmud (Berachot
30).
Nowdays, the Holy Ark with the Torah is installed in a synagogue
in the general direction of Jerusalem so all congregants face Jerusalem
during the ceremony
The main part of the three daily prayers constitutes a series of
blessings and is called either "Shmoneh-Esreh", after the original
18 blessings, or "Amidah", as it is said standing, facing Jerusalem.
Once most Jews in exile lived west of Jerusalem
and would face east, or "Mizrach" when praying. To help them face
the correct direction for prayer even after several generations
in the Diaspora, many people began to hang a decorative plaque with
the word “Mizrach” on an eastern wall within their homes. In time
Jews dispersed in other directions too, so the "Mizrach" plaque
and the direction of prayer no longer coincided. People living north
of Jerusalem (like Eastern Europe) placed a plaque with the word
“Mizrach” on the eastern wall of their living room, but prayed facing
south, to Jerusalem. Eastern-wall seats in European synagogues carried
a higher prestige.
Modern Mizrach plaques are known from about the
18th century and are executed using various techniques and materials,
such as ceramic, wood or metal. Originally they were prepared chiefly
by students in traditional Jewish schools devoted to the study of
the Talmud, the rabbinic laws based on traditional interpretation
of the Bible.
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