Is a shul with more than 500 members is too big?
Ask the rabbi.
TWO CALENDARS
Q. How can we have two lists of months, one beginning from Tishri, the month of Rosh HaShanah, and one from Nisan, the month of Pesach?
Rabbi Raymond Apple
A. We have two systems of time. One – calculated from Nisan – is nationalistic and begins with the emergence on the stage of history of the people of Israel.
The other is universalistic and commences with the creation of the whole world on Rosh HaShanah.
At one and the same moment we are members of our own people and members of the human race. Hence the prayer book for Pesach concentrates on the history and destiny of Israel and the prayer book for Rosh HaShanah looks at the whole of mankind and speaks of God judging all the peoples and all the nations.
The contrast between them is illustrated by the fact that on Pesach we are part of a record of events; on Rosh HaShanah it is not so much time but traits that are on our liturgical agenda.
HOW BIG SHOULD A SYNAGOGUE BE?
Q. What is the optimum size for a synagogue?
A. The Talmud (Sukkah 51b) describes a grand synagogue in Alexandria, comparing its glory to the Holy Temple. But it was so big that the officiant could not be heard, and by a system of signals, people were notified when to say Amen.
These days people in such large synagogues clamour for microphones on Shabbat and festivals and express their hearty disapproval when the request is denied.
The fact is that a shule that is so big that worshippers are an audience with acoustic problems has passed the limits of what is reasonable. The service tends to become a performance and the rabbi a master of ceremonies. I cannot quantify what I mean, but instinct should tell when the shule is big enough.
A second criterion is membership. A certain Sydney rabbi used to boast that he had the largest congregation in the country. I decided to check out his claim. By adding up the list of members of his shule and mine, I proved that I had more members than he did.
I don’t know the situation today, nor does it matter. Both of these congregations are too big.
Over 500 members is too large to have a feeling of involvement with each other.
Rabbi Raymond Apple served for 32 years as the chief minister of the Great Synagogue, Sydney, Australia’s oldest and most prestigious congregation. He is now retired and lives in Jerusalem where he answers interesting questions.
Smaller Shule are more inclusive