Many synagogues have more than one Torah scroll for this reason, since some services call for reading two or three sections from different parts of the Torah, and rolling the scroll takes a while. The special reverence with which the Torah is treated is evidence that it holds a special, ritual power for practicing Jews. There are differences between Azhkenazic and Sephardic services, as well as between Orthodox and liberal services. The setting described above is most likely to be found in a liberal Ashkenazic synagogue. Also, men and women are seated separately in Orthodox synagogues.
Women sit behind a partition, or mechitzah .
This is sometimes a balcony. To visit the home pages of different Sephardic synagogues on the web, click here . Additionally, great care is taken in the creation of a Torah scroll. Bibliography Bagg, Robert. Living Judaism .