So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, he went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:… [Luke 4:16-17 – NKJV]

Personal Reminiscences

I grew up under the tutelage of my paternal grandfather, a wonderfully God-fearing man, who had established a synagogue in his home. Among the childhood memories I treasure, was the reading from the scroll of the Torah (Pentateuch) every Saturday and the other Appointed Times of the Lord [Lev. 23]. The congregation would rise to its feet as the scroll was removed from the ark, and sit down again after it had been placed on the mid-room table (we had no bimah), where it was unrolled to the particular parashah (portion) to be read that day. One after another, the persons honoured with an aliyah (ascent – called up to the Torah) pronounced the...