The Presence of Different Elements of Power in the Synagogue as Read in Malory Nye’s Religion: The Basics

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For this assignment, my group decided to visit the Solel Congregation of Mississauga to observe a Jewish religious service. This essay will argue the presence of different elements of power in the synagogue we visited as discussed in Malory Nye’s Religion: The Basics. The reverence for the Torah resembles Michel Foucault’s idea of the power of the panopticon, which parallels the distinct power of the Torah. I will also argue that, based on the interactions between the rabbi and the participants at the service, Antonio Gramsci’s concept of hegemony was not properly represented in the synagogue.
The first interesting observation that I made was the different in behavior in relation to the different occurrences during the service. In one scenario, the rabbi moved through the congregation carrying the sacred text known as the Torah. As the rabbi approached the individuals in the crowd, they touched the Torah gently with their shawl and proceeded to kiss the shawl. Those who did not have a shawl used any inanimate object that was nearby to touch the Torah. A man that sat beside me at the service noted that this action served two purposes: a sign of respect and a source of good luck. However, this was the perspective of one individual and may not be the actual purpose. This process was repeated before the Torah was returned to the central cabinet from which it was taken from. This central cabinet had a unique patterned design and was only open during the time the Torah was taken out. Many of the individuals were fixated upon the Torah, never diverting their attention away from it. Even after they had completed the touch and kiss action, they continued to watch the Torah circulate throughout the synagogue.
One concept of...

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...ory Nye’s Religion: The Basics. The similarities between Michel Foucault’s panopticon and the Torah seem to demonstrate a distinct power relationship within the synagogue. Although some elements coincide with Foucault’s theory, many discontinuities and inconsistencies suggest the absence of other theories relating to this power relationship. The incompatibility of Antonio Gramsci’s concept of hegemony and the observations made between the rabbi and the participants suggest that hegemony is not found within the synagogue. Many of the theories relating to power that are outlined in Malory Nye’s text seem to suggest a need for human interaction and that “there cannot be ideology without people” (Nye 2008, 68). Based on the human interactions observed during my visit to the Solel Congregation, there appears to be a minute presence of power within the synagogue.

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