 In Sephardic synagogues, the table for reading the Torah (reading dais) was commonly placed at the opposite side of the room from the Torah Ark, leaving the center of the floor empty for the use of a ceremonial procession carrying the Torah between the Ark and the reading table.Most contemporary synagogues feature a lectern for the rabbi.The Torah Ark, called in Hebrew "Aron Kodesh" or 'holy chest', and alternatively called the "heikhal"— or 'temple' by Sephardic Jews, is a cabinet in which the Torah scrolls are kept.