Pirqei Avot 2:5
על תפרוש מן הציבור
Al tifrosh min hatzibbur
Do not separate yourself from the community.
I’m flying to Israel today, so I won’t be part of this tzibbur, this community for two weeks.
Nonetheless, we belong together. We need each other.
This is also a humbling idea - nobody should think that s/he is so perfect or wonderful that s/he does not need community. That is what a synagogue is all about. And here's a wee bit of etymology:
"synagogue" = place of assembly (Greek)
בית כנסת ("beit keneset") = house of gathering (Hebrew)
The English word, borrowed from the Greek via Latin, is merely a translation of the Hebrew.
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