Ark at Temple Beth Am
When one reaches for a Torah from the ark at Temple Beth Am, one must physically traverse and inhabit the space of the scrolls and be surrounded by the Torahs themselves. Upon entering, one steps on holy ground, Jerusalem Stone slabs, set within a shallow bed of (desert) sand. The scrolls are nested in their own containers, glowing with light and rising from the sand.
The Ark doors and parochet are made from hundreds of resin tablets. There are three types: one marries the letters bet and lamed the first and last letters of the Torah that together make the word “lev” (heart); another includes the letter “shin” evoking “Shaddai” (The Almighty, one of the names of God); and the third recalls the yuds of the synagogue’s original ark.
The Ark doors and parochet are made from hundreds of resin tablets. There are three types: one marries the letters bet and lamed the first and last letters of the Torah that together make the word “lev” (heart); another includes the letter “shin” evoking “Shaddai” (The Almighty, one of the names of God); and the third recalls the yuds of the synagogue’s original ark.
