View source for Mizrah

{{Short description|Direction of prayer in Judaism}}
{{see also|Eastern Wall}}
{{italic title}}
[[Image:Mizrah - Israel Dov Rosenbaum.jpg|thumb|right|''Mizrah'' papercut, [[Eastern Europe]], 19th century (from [[Pidkamin]], Ukraine)]]
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'''''Mizrah''''' (also spelled '''''Mizrach''''',  '''''Mizrakh''''') ({{langx|he|מִזְרָח|mīzrāḥ}}) is the "east" and the direction that [[Jews]] in the [[Diaspora]] west of Israel face during [[Jewish prayer|prayer]]. Practically speaking, Jews face the city of [[Jerusalem]] when praying, and those north, east, or south of Jerusalem face south, west, and north respectively.<ref name=AbuSway>{{cite news |title=The Holy Land, Jerusalem and Al-Aqsa Mosque in the Qur'an, Sunnah and other Islamic Literary Source |author=Mustafa Abu Sway |url=http://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Abusway_0.pdf |publisher=[[Central Conference of American Rabbis]] |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110728001911/http://www.wcfia.harvard.edu/sites/default/files/Abusway_0.pdf |archive-date=2011-07-28 }}</ref>

In European and Mediterranean communities west of the Holy Land, ''mizrah'' also refers to the wall of the [[synagogue]] that faces east, where seats are reserved for the [[rabbi]] and other dignitaries. In addition, ''mizrah'' refers to an ornamental wall plaque used to indicate the direction of prayer in Jewish homes.

==Jewish law==
[[Image:WLANL - MicheleLovesArt - Joods Historisch Museum - Schilderij Voerman (1111).jpg|thumb|Framed ''mizrach'' with the word מזרח on the wall ([[Jan Voerman]], ''De treurdagen'' 'the sorrowful days', c. 1884)]]

The [[Talmud]] states that a Jew praying in the [[Jewish diaspora|Diaspora]] shall direct themself toward the [[Land of Israel]]; in Israel, toward [[Jerusalem]]; in Jerusalem, toward the [[Temple of Jerusalem|Temple]]; and in the Temple, toward the [[Holy of Holies]]. The same rule is found in the [[Mishnah]] but prescribed for individual prayers rather than congregational ones (i.e., in a synagogue). Thus, if one is east of the Temple, one should turn westward; if in the west, eastward; in the south, northward; and if in the north, southward.

The custom is based on the prayer of [[Solomon]] ([[Books of Kings|I Kings]] {{Bibleverse||1 Kings|8:33, 44, 48|1000|8:33, 44, 48}}; [[Books of Chronicles|II Chronicles]] {{Bibleverse||2 Chron|6:34|1000|6:34}}). Another passage supporting this rule is found in the [[Book of Daniel]], which relates that in the upper chamber of the house in which [[Daniel (biblical figure)|Daniel]] prayed three times daily, the windows were opened toward Jerusalem ([[Book of Daniel|Daniel]] {{Bibleverse||Dan|9:3, 6:10|1000|9:3, 6:10}}).

The [[Tosefta]] demands that the entrance to the synagogue should be on the eastern side, with the congregation facing west during prayer. The requirement is probably based on the orientation of the [[tabernacle|Tent of Meeting]], which had its gates on the eastern side ({{Bibleverse||Num|2:2–3; 3:38|1000|2:2–3; 3:38}}, or [[Solomon's Temple]]—the portals of which were to the east ([[Book of Ezekiel|Ezekiel]] {{Bibleverse||Ezek|43:1–4|1000|43:1–4}}). [[Maimonides]] attempted to reconcile the Tosefta's provision with the requirement to pray toward Jerusalem by stating that the doors of the synagogue should face east and the [[Ark (synagogue)|Ark]] should be placed "in the direction in which people pray in that city" (i.e., toward Jerusalem). The ''[[Shulkhan Arukh]]'' records the same rule but also recommends that one turn toward the southeast instead of the east to avoid the semblance of [[Idolatry in Judaism|worshiping the sun]].

If one cannot ascertain the [[cardinal points]], one should direct the heart toward Jerusalem.

==''Mizrah'' in synagogue architecture==
Excavations of ancient synagogues show that their design generally conformed with the Talmudic and traditional rule on prayer direction. The synagogues excavated west of Eretz Israel in [[Miletus]], [[Priene]], and [[Aegina]] all show an eastern orientation. [[Josephus]], in his work ''[[Against Apion]]'', recorded that the same was the case for [[Ancient Egypt|Egyptian]] synagogues. Synagogues north of Jerusalem and west of the [[Jordan River]], as in [[Beth Alpha|Bet Alfa]], [[Capernaum]], Hammath, and Khorazin, all face southward, whereas houses of worship east of the Jordan all face west. In the south, the synagogue excavated at [[Masada]] faces northwest to Jerusalem. The Tosefta's regulation that the entrance to the synagogue should be on the eastern side, while the orientation of the building should be toward the west was followed only in the synagogue in [[Irbid]].

Initially, the ''mizrah'' wall in synagogues was on the side of the entrance. However, the remains of the [[Dura-Europos synagogue]] on the [[Euphrates]] reveal that by the 3rd century C.E. the doors were on the eastern side and the opposite wall, in which a special niche had been made to place the scrolls during worship, faced Jerusalem. In Eretz Israel, the wall facing the Temple site was changed from the side of the entrance to the side of the Ark in the 5th or 6th century. This change is found in synagogues at [[Naaran]], near [[Jericho]], and [[Beit Alfa]]. Worshipers came through the portals and immediately faced both the scrolls and Jerusalem.

==''Mizrah'' in Jewish homes==
[[File:The Jewish Museum - Mizrah-Shiviti.png|thumb|''Mizrah-shiviti'' papercut]]

It is customary in traditional Jewish homes to mark the wall in the direction of ''mizrah'' to facilitate proper prayer. For this purpose, people use artistic wall plaques inscribed with the word ''mizrah'' and scriptural passages like "From the rising (''mi-mizrah'') of the sun unto the going down thereof, the Lord's name is to be praised" ({{bibleref|Psalm| 113:3}}, [[Septuagint]] [[Psalm|Ps.]] 112:3), [[Kabbalah|kabbalistic]] inscriptions, or pictures of holy places. These plaques are generally placed in rooms in which people pray, such as the living room or bedrooms.

There are also [[Papercutting|papercuts]] described as "mizrah-[[shiviti]]", because they served a dual purpose: as ''mizrah'' (decoration for the eastern wall, marking the direction of prayer), and as ''shiviti'', meaning "I have set [before me]" ({{bibleref|Psalm| 16:8}}, LXX Ps. 15:8) and intended to inspire worshippers to adopt a proper attitude toward prayer.<ref>[https://thejewishmuseum.org/collection/3845-mizrah-shiviti Mizrah/Shiviti], Jewish Museum, New York. Accessed 3 Dec 2021.</ref>

==Outside Judaism==
Like the Jews, [[Muslim]]s used Jerusalem as their ''[[qibla]]h'' ({{langx|ar|قِـبْـلَـة}}, direction of prayer), before it was permanently changed in the second Hijri year (624 CE) to [[Mecca]].<ref name=AbuSway/><ref>{{cite book |last=Hadi Bashori |first=Muhammad |title= Pengantar Ilmu Falak |language= id |page=104 |year=2015 |publisher= Pustaka Al Kautsar |location= Jakarta |isbn=978-979-592-701-3 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=erLqDAAAQBAJ}}</ref><ref>{{Encyclopaedia of Islam, New Edition|volume=5|title=Ḳibla: Ritual and Legal Aspects |pages=82–83|first=Arent Jan|last=Wensinck|authorlink=|url=}}</ref>

==See also==
{{commonscat|Mizrah}}
* [[Direction of prayer]]
** ''[[Ad orientem]]'', the Christian direction of prayer; alternative for Catholic priests: ''[[versus populum]]''
** [[Qibla]], the [[Muslim]] direction of prayer 
** [[Qiblih]], the [[Baháʼí]] direction of prayer
* [[Orientation of churches]]
* [[Vytynanky (Wycinanki)]], Slavic papercuts

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==

* Elbogen, Ismar (1993). ''Jewish Liturgy: A Comprehensive History''. Jewish Publication Society. {{ISBN|978-0-8276-0445-2}}
* "Mizrah" (1997). ''[[Encyclopedia Judaica]]'' (CD-ROM Edition Version 1.0). Ed. [[Cecil Roth]]. Keter Publishing House. {{ISBN|978-965-07-0665-4}}

[[Category:Synagogue architecture]]
[[Category:Jewish services]]
[[Category:Tabernacle and Temples in Jerusalem]]
[[Category:Jewish prayer and ritual texts]]
[[Category:Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish prayers and blessings]]
[[Category:Orientation (geometry)]]