24 columns, 7 windows, 364 bricks
Mt. Sinai is one of the shuls in Washington Heights. Established in 1959, the shul boasts a large crowd of young singles and marrieds, mostly in their 20's.
When entering the shul, the aron kodesh is straight ahead. To the left and right are pews, facing each other. A mechitzah exists after the 6th or so pew, separating the men and women. Because the pews face each other, the men and women can easily look into the opposing sections.
The aron is set into the wall, and on the side are rows of bricks with empty holes, 13x14 holes per side, for a total of 26 rows of 14 holes.
Why do I tell you this? I'm not an architecture person, but next time you walk into the shul, notice;
-There are 24 columns of stained glass windows. Either for 24 hours a day, or alternatively, in 2 sets of 12, each side representing one column per month of the year.
-Each column has 7 windows. Days of the week.
-There are 364 holes in the bricks by the aron. But the year has 365 days! You could take the idea of gematria and just be off by one, or add the aron kodesh and have 365. Or, as pointed out by a friend, 26*14 is the same as 52*7, or 52 weeks in a year and 7 days per week.
Coincidence? I think not.
Of course, the archiect who designed the building 50 years ago is at least retired, but I'm sure he'd be glad to know that *someone,* even 50 years later, and not an architecture student, noticed.
And no, I didn't figure this out during the Rabbi's speech.
When entering the shul, the aron kodesh is straight ahead. To the left and right are pews, facing each other. A mechitzah exists after the 6th or so pew, separating the men and women. Because the pews face each other, the men and women can easily look into the opposing sections.
The aron is set into the wall, and on the side are rows of bricks with empty holes, 13x14 holes per side, for a total of 26 rows of 14 holes.
Why do I tell you this? I'm not an architecture person, but next time you walk into the shul, notice;
-There are 24 columns of stained glass windows. Either for 24 hours a day, or alternatively, in 2 sets of 12, each side representing one column per month of the year.
-Each column has 7 windows. Days of the week.
-There are 364 holes in the bricks by the aron. But the year has 365 days! You could take the idea of gematria and just be off by one, or add the aron kodesh and have 365. Or, as pointed out by a friend, 26*14 is the same as 52*7, or 52 weeks in a year and 7 days per week.
Coincidence? I think not.
Of course, the archiect who designed the building 50 years ago is at least retired, but I'm sure he'd be glad to know that *someone,* even 50 years later, and not an architecture student, noticed.
And no, I didn't figure this out during the Rabbi's speech.
posted by Romach at
8:22 PM
