A window, the sun, and Jerusalem

.
As you know from yesterday's post, I was at the Hebrew University Mount Scopus campus yesterday; and the prize at the end of sitting through eight hours of lectures was a glorious sunset.

The campus synagogue, dedicated in 1981, is part of the very spread-out Humanities Building.
You can recognize it here by the Chanuka menorah on its roof.
.
How would you like to pray facing this view of the Old City and beyond?!

At 5:10 the last rays of sun were bathing the interior with a warm glow.
.
Most synagogues in Israel and in the world face the east, toward Jerusalem.
The congregation here on Mt. Scopus had to face west in order to face the Temple Mount (where you see the gold Dome of the Rock), so architect Ram Carmi [remember my posts on his Supreme Court building?] had an idea.
He wanted a picture window in the front, but normally the holy ark containing the Torah scrolls is in the front.
He got around it by "splitting" the ark! There are two arks, one on each side.

And then, especially for James' Weekend Reflections, the sun set behind the far-away western skyline of Jerusalem and was reflected on the outside of the Hecht Synagogue picture window.
.
Shabbat shalom.
.