ArchitecTorah

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ArchitecTorah is a collection of 178 short essays that investigate the Torah through the lens of architecture. Eahc essay briefly introduces a piece of architectural theory, a building, or a section of building code and then re-examines a well-known topic in the Torah to uncover new and insightful interpretations.

Bereshit -
The Imperative to Build
The Primitive Hut: Architectural Justification
The Four Rivers of Eden and Paradise Gardens
Beautifully Designed Synagogues
Homelessness
The Origin of Cities
Music, War, and Architecture
Noach -
Building the Ark as an Architectural Statement
Design Briefs
Graphic Standards and Technical Drawings
Brickmaking and Building Technology
Skyscrapers as Civic Icons
Lech Lecha -
Domestic Architecture in Mesopotamia
Prayer in a Set Location
Population Density and Urban Planning
Vayera -
Porches and New Urbanism
The Kitchen “Work Triangle”
Door Details and Swing Direction
Salt as a Building Material
Cave Dwellings
Chaye Sara -
Halachic Parameters of Cemetery Design
Building on a Historic Site
Toledot -
Color as a Symbol and Stimulant
Texture in Architecture
Vayetze -
Form and Function
Egyptian and Syrian Ladders
Baetyls, Sacred Stones, and Pillars
Safeguarding Shared Resources
Vayishlach -
Defensive Cities
Rhythm and Intervals
Bridges and Fords
The Defining Characteristics of Cities
Vayeshev -
Avraham’s Tent as a Tetrapylon
Egress
Prisons
Miketz -
Moisture Control
Pharaoh’s Throne
Vayigash -
Lumber for the Mishkan
Shifting Populations
Vayechi -
Secondary Burial and Family Burial Chambers
Yosef’s Grave
Shemot -
Groundbreakings and Cornerstone Ceremonies
Mixed-Use Neighborhoods
Fire Ratings
Brickmaking in Egypt
Va’era -
Egyptian Temples and the Plagues
Houses During the Plagues
Failing Systems
Bo -
Wind Patterns
Keeping Time
Beshalach -
The Pillar of Fire as Visionary Architecture
Gateways and Obelisks
Passage Through Walls of Water
Temple from Heaven
Four Cubits and Vitruvian Man
Museums and Reliquaries
Yitro -
Marking Boundaries
Idols and Architecture
Tripartite Division in Buildings
Replicas of the Temple
Unhewn Stones
The Altar Ramp and Accessibility
Mishpatim -
The Evolving Role of Architect
Bribes and Kickbacks
Heavenly Jerusalem, Earthly Jerusalem
Teruma -
The Visual Torah
Competing Cubits and the Dimensions of the Ark
Revealed and Concealed Spaces
Fabric Partitions and the Origins of Architecture
Assembling Parts
Structural Stability and Wall Thickness
Tetzave -
Pomegranates, Bells, and Temple Ornament
Embossing and Engraving
Ki Tisa -
The Temple Muchni
Military Camps and Urban Planning
Isolation in the Desert
Vayakhel -
Public and Private Space
Bill of Quantities
Corner Design Problems
Pekudei -
Dedication Ceremonies
Creating Courtyards
Vayikra -
Blood on the Altar
Blood Drainage on the Temple Mount
Me’ila and the Value of Architecture
Stolen Central Beams
Tzav -
Wood for the Altar
Standing Room Only in the Temple
Shemini -
Servant and Served Spaces
Mikvaot and Building Typology
Tazriya -
Sections Through the Temple Mount
Shades of White
Light and Depth Perception
Shade and Public Spaces
Tents and Tzaraat
Metzora -
Building on Pilotis
Square Houses and Domestic Architecture
Historical Preservation and the Essence of a Building
Acharei Mot -
Blurred Vision in the Holy of Holies
Contrasting Civilization and Wilderness
The Influence of Foreign Culture
Vomitorea: Theater Architecture and Egress
Kedoshim -
Pe’ah and Affordable Housing
Stumbling Blocks and Accessible Buildings
Kilayim in Building Materials
Tattoos and Modern Architecture
Rising for the Elderly
Honest Measurements
Emor -
The Impact of Tumat Ohalim on Architecture
Sukka Balconies
Sukka of the Leviathan
Sukkot of Clouds
Windows in the Temple
Behar -
Houses in a Walled City
Stone Paving
Bechukotai -
Iron Wall, Iron Dome
Oven and Courtyards
Ruins Symbolism
Appraising Apartments: The Kohen’s Role in Sanctifying a House
Bamidbar -
The Levite Camp and Hierarchical Cities
The Pleasure of Good Design
Naso -
Tile Openings in the Temple
Birchat Kohanim and Solid/Void Theory
Behaalotecha -
Tectonic vs. Stereotomic Design and the Menora
Building the Temple at Night
Expanding Jerusalem
Basilicas and the Chamber of Hewn Stone
Shelach -
Reporting on the Canaanite Settlements
Tourist Sites in the Ancient World
Structural Supports and Dividing Loads Between the Spies
Light Quality and Visual Tasks
Korach -
Figure/Ground Theory in Urban Design
Cladding for the Altar
Chukat -
Architecture of the Red Heifer
Separating Entrance and Exit
Impurity Transmitted by Tents
Balak -
Passage Width
Windows, Privacy, and Light
Lateral Loads
Pinchas -
Dividing the Land
Natural vs. Manmade
Circulation in Synagogues
Matot -
Nedarim and Communal Space
Siege Warfare
Tents and Palaces
Naming Cities
Masei -
Tabula Rasa and Complexity in Architecture
Levite Cities: Size, Beauty, and Zoning
Signage, Wayfinding, and Cities of Refuge
Devarim -
The Ninth of Av and the Prohibition of Joyous Building
Fortified up to Heaven
Va’etchanan -
Praying toward Jerusalem
Inheriting Canaanite Cities
Ekev -
Slow Conquest and Urban Sprawl
Mezuzot
Re’eh -
Locating Foreign Altars
Building in Israel
Excavating an Ir Hanidachat
Shofetim -
A Soldier with a New House
Cutting Fruit Trees
Measuring Between Cities
Ki Teitzei -
Guardrails
Fences
Stair Design
City Gates
Plumbing and Sewage
Ki Tavo -
Baskets and Architectural Orders
Jordan Monument
Moving Boundary Markers
City and Country
Nitzavim -
Woodcutters and Water Drawers
Pagan Parks and Baths
Vayelech -
The Acoustics of Hakhel
Decorating with Verses
Haazinu -
Brick Patterns
Foundations
Vezot Haberacha -
Topography, Property Lines, and the Site of the Temple
Jerusalem and Tel Aviv
Sand and Glass
Glossary
Bibliography
Primary Source Index
General Index

• ISBN

  9789655243680

• Title

  ArchitecTorah

• Author

  Joshua Skarf

• Publisher

  Urim Publications

• Publication year

  2023

• Binding

  Hardcover

• Language

  English