While an ostrich egg would be a peculiar sight in a modern synagogue, Rabbi Yitzchak Ratzabi has recently written a book in which he claimed that "many synagogues in Yemen, the Land of Israel and elsewhere" used to have them as a fixture.
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In his new book on the subject, Ratzabi – a prominent figure in Israel's Yemenite community – says ostrich eggs used to be hung above the Torah ark or above the center of the synagogue on the ceiling.
There are as many as 66 explanations to the custom, Ratzabi explained. According to ancient beliefs, the female ostrich does not sit on its eggs but rather looks at them, which supposedly leads to their hatching. That is why putting an egg in the synagogue will help worshippers keep their gaze at the siddur (prayer book) because "eyesight gets its power from looking at something with the proper intent," Ratzabi said.
He also pointed out that there is a linguistic similarity between the Hebrew words "ostrich," "eye", and thus can help fight the evil eye. Another similarity is between the way the animal is spelled in Hebrew and the word for poor, thus reminding the worshippers they must give to charity.
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