Rabbi Akiva says: From where do we derive that a person is obligated to teach his student until he learns the material and understands it? As it is stated: “Now therefore write this song for you, and teach it to the children of Israel; put it in their mouths, that this song may be a witness for me against the children of Israel” (Deuteronomy 31:19). And from where do we derive that one must teach his students until the material is organized in their mouths? As it is stated: “Put it in their mouths.”
וְלֹֽא־תַעֲלֶ֥ה בְמַעֲלֹ֖ת עַֽל־מִזְבְּחִ֑י אֲשֶׁ֛ר לֹֽא־תִגָּלֶ֥ה עֶרְוָתְךָ֖ עָלָֽיו׃ (פ)
ולא תעלה במעלות Do not ascend My altar by steps— When you build an ascent to the altar you shalt not construct it of steps (échelons in old French), but it shall be even and sloping.
Rabbi Avi Weiss, “The Lessons of the Ramps to the Altar”
“The presence of ramps can be viewed as a symbol of accessibility,” he writes. “Once there is accessibility in the place of the spirit, either in the altar or in today’s synagogue, it sends a message that all places should be open to [people with disabilities.] Not only do ramps send a message of welcome to the physically challenged, but they also send to one and all, even to those not in wheelchairs, that everyone, regardless of affiliation, health or station in life is welcome. For me, the ramps to the altar powerfully remind us what makes a synagogue beautiful. I have heard Jews with a passion for architecture debate this question at length. Some may advocate an ultra-modern structure with a skylight over the ark, while others may prefer a more traditional structure. Personally, the first items I look for in a shul are ramps. If the synagogue is accessible, it is beautiful.”
(ואמר) מר זוטרא בר טוביה אמר רב ואמרי לה אמר רב חנא בר ביזנא אמר ר"ש חסידא ואמרי לה א"ר יוחנן משום רשב"י נוח לו לאדם שיפיל עצמו לכבשן האש ואל ילבין פני חבירו ברבים מנ"ל מתמר דכתיב (בראשית לח, כה) היא מוצאת והיא שלחה אל חמיה
And Mar Zutra bar Toviyya says that Rav says; and some say Rav Ḥana bar Bizna says that Rabbi Shimon Ḥasida says; and some say Rabbi Yoḥanan says in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: It is more comfortable for a person to cast himself into a fiery furnace, than to humiliate another in public. From where do we derive this? From Tamar, daughter-in-law of Judah, as it is written: “And Judah said: Bring her forth, and let her be burnt. When she was brought forth, she sent to her father-in-law, saying: I am pregnant by the man to whom these belong. And she said: Examine these, whose are these, the signet, and the cords, and the staff?” (Genesis 38:24–25).
(1) Thus said the LORD: Observe what is right and do what is just; For soon My salvation shall come, And my deliverance be revealed. (2) Happy is the man who does this, The man who holds fast to it: Who keeps the sabbath and does not profane it, And stays his hand from doing any evil. (3) Let not the foreigner say, Who has attached himself to the LORD, “The LORD will keep me apart from His people”; And let not the eunuch say, “I am a withered tree.” (4) For thus said the LORD: “As for the eunuchs who keep My sabbaths, Who have chosen what I desire And hold fast to My covenant— (5) I will give them, in My House And within My walls, A monument and a name, Better than sons or daughters. I will give them an everlasting name Which shall not perish. (6) As for the foreigners Who attach themselves to the LORD, To minister to Him, And to love the name of the LORD, To be His servants— All who keep the sabbath and do not profane it, And who hold fast to My covenant— (7) I will bring them to My sacred mount And let them rejoice in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and sacrifices Shall be welcome on My altar; For My House shall be called A house of prayer for all peoples.”
Abraham Joshua Heschel, "The Spirit of Jewish Prayer", 1953.
Our services are conducted with pomp and precision. The rendition of the liturgy is smooth. Everything is present: decorum, voice, ceremony. But one thing is missing: Life. One knows in advance what will ensue. There will be no surprise, no adventure of the soul; there will be no sudden burst of devotion. Nothing is going to happen to the soul. Nothing unpredictable must happen to the person who prays. He will attain no insight into the words he reads; he will attain no new perspective for the life he lives. Our motto is monotony. מַה־שֶּׁהָיָה הוּא שֶׁיִּהְיֶה וְאֵין כָּל־חָדָשׁ בְּבֵית הַכְּנֶסֶת. (What was, will be; and there will be nothing new in the synagogue!) The fire has gone out of our worship. It is cold, stiff, and dead. Inorganic Judaism.
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The modern synagogue suffers from a severe cold. Our congregants preserve a respectful distance between the סִדּוּר and themselves. They say the words, “Forgive us for we have sinned,” but of course, they are not meant. They say, “Thou shalt love the Lord Thy God with all thy heart…” in lofty detachment, in complete anonymity as if giving an impartial opinion about an irrelevant question.
An air of tranquility, complacency prevails in our synagogues. What can come out of such an atmosphere? The services are prim, the voice is dry, the synagogue is clean and tidy, and the soul of prayer lies in agony. You know no one will scream, no one will cry, the words will be still-born.