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Gabbai



 
 
A Gabbai (or sometimes: Shamash ???} is a person who assists in the running of a synagogue
Synagogue

A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer.Synagogues usually have a large hall for prayer , smaller rooms for study and sometimes a social hall and offices....
 and ensures that the needs are met, for example the Jewish prayer services run smoothly, or an assistant to a rabbi (particularly the secretary or personal assistant to a Hassidic Rebbe
Rebbe

Rebbe which means master, teacher, or mentor is a Yiddish word derived from the identical Hebrew language word Rabbi. It mostly refers to the leader of a Hasidic Judaism Jewish movement....
). A gabbai's obligations might also include maintaining a Jewish cemetery.

In many synagogues the gabbai is not a permanent job like the one described above but rather a role in the Torah service.






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A Gabbai (or sometimes: Shamash ???} is a person who assists in the running of a synagogue
Synagogue

A synagogue is a Jewish house of prayer.Synagogues usually have a large hall for prayer , smaller rooms for study and sometimes a social hall and offices....
 and ensures that the needs are met, for example the Jewish prayer services run smoothly, or an assistant to a rabbi (particularly the secretary or personal assistant to a Hassidic Rebbe
Rebbe

Rebbe which means master, teacher, or mentor is a Yiddish word derived from the identical Hebrew language word Rabbi. It mostly refers to the leader of a Hasidic Judaism Jewish movement....
). A gabbai's obligations might also include maintaining a Jewish cemetery.

In many synagogues the gabbai is not a permanent job like the one described above but rather a role in the Torah service. The gabbai stands next to the Torah reader, holding a version of the text with vowels and trop
Cantillation

Cantillation is the ritual chanting of readings from the Bible in synagogue Jewish services.The chants are rendered in accordance with the special signs or marks printed in the Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible to complement the letters and vowel points....
 markings (which are not present in the actual Torah scroll), and follows along in order to correct the reader if he makes an error (e.g., mispronounces a word, or skips a word).

The gabbai is also responsible for calling congregants up to the Torah
Torah reading

Torah reading is a Judaism religion ritual that involves the public reading of a set of passages from a Sefer Torah. The term often refers to the entire ceremony of removing the Torah scroll from the ark , chanting the appropriate excerpt with special cantillation, and returning the scroll to the ark....
.