Walter Jacob
QUESTION: My congregation is constructing a new ark for the Torah . We would like to utilize wood from trees that were used in biblical times both as a token of our ties to the Bible and as a modern environmental reminder. Can you supply me with the names of some trees and let me know whether this has been done before and if it is appropriate? Is this preferable to using a replica of ancient synagogue mosaics?(M.K., Los Angeles , CA )
ANSWER: Your idea is lovely. I know that various congregations have decided to use Jerusalem stone for their ark or for portions of synagogue walls. Others have designed replicas of the synagogue floors found in Israel or the Mediterranean Basin that date back to the third and fourth centuries. They, of course, in contrast to the Jerusalem stone, represent a problem, as many of the synagogue mosaics show pictures of pagan deities, such as Helios and signs of the Zodiac(Hammath-Tiberias, etc.). These mosaics may reflect a form of Judaism at odds with the rabbinic tradition as a prayer from Sefer Harazim suggests(Lee I. Levine , Ancient Synagogues Revealed[Jerusalem : 1981] pp. 8f.) or they may have been interpreted metaphorically(Sirach 23, 28; Ps. 88:37). These synagogue pavements aroused a negative reaction from the rabbis, so Rav would not prostrate himself even on a stone floor(Meg. 22b, Yad, Hil. Avodah Zarah 6:6 and commentaries), never mind one with an engraved zodiac. This, however, did not stop such synagogue floors from being constructed and used. The negative reaction as recorded in the Talmud became