A raised platform or pulpit in a synagogue or Jewish place of worship from which the Torah is read, or historically, a similar platform in early Christian churches.
From Greek 'bema' (platform, podium), itself possibly borrowed from Hebrew or Aramaic. Used in English since at least the 16th century for Jewish and early Christian religious architecture.
The bema in a synagogue is the literal and spiritual center of the service—everything in the building's design points toward it, making it one of the oldest examples of how architecture shapes worship.
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