{{Redirect|Parnass|the German-Swedish journalist and writer|Peggy Parnass}} {{short description|Person who assists in the running of synagogue services in some way}} {{italic title}} {{Other uses|Gabbay (disambiguation){{!}}Gabbay}} [[File:Shames.jpg|thumb|upright|Gabbai in [[Biała Podlaska]] (Poland, 1926)]] A '''''gabbai''''' ({{langx|he|גַּבַּאי|rtl=yes}}; sometimes transliterated as '''''gabay'''''), also known as a '''''shamash''''' ({{lang|he|rtl=yes|שַׁמָשׁ}}; sometimes transcribed as ''shamas'') or '''warden''' (in [[British English]], similar to [[churchwarden]]), is a [[beadle]] or [[sexton (office)|sexton]]—a person who assists in the running of [[synagogue]] [[Jewish prayer|services]] in some way. The role may be undertaken on a voluntary or paid basis. A ''shamash'' ({{literal translation|servant}}) or ''gabbai'' can also be an assistant to a [[rabbi]], particularly the secretary or personal assistant to a [[Hasidic]] [[rebbe]]. In the [[Sephardic Jewish]] {{tlit|he|[[ma'amad]]}}, the local or regional council of elders (or 'board of directors') of Sephardi Jewish communities, the position of ''gabbai'' was that of the [[treasurer]].
==Etymology== The word ''gabbai'' is Hebrew and, in Talmudic times, meant "collector of taxes or charity" or "treasurer".<ref>''[http://www.tyndalearchive.com/tabs/jastrow/ Dictionary of the Targumim, Talmud Bavli, Talmud Yerushalmi and Midrashic Literature] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090419223729/http://www.tyndalearchive.com/tabs/jastrow/ |date=April 19, 2009 }}'' by Marcus Jastrow. (London, 1903) 1971/2004 reprinting {{ISBN|1-932443-20-7}}. p.206</ref>
The term ''shamash'' is sometimes used for the ''gabbai'', the caretaker or "man of all work" in a synagogue.
==Duties== [[File:Tablica poświęcona gabajom, MŻ 67.jpg|thumb|A plaque commemorating three gabbai – administrators of the [[Oświęcim Synagogue|Chevra Lomdei Mishnayot Synagogue]] in [[Oświęcim]] in southern Poland, 1928]] While the specific set of duties vary from synagogue to synagogue, a gabbai's responsibilities will typically include ensuring that the religious services run smoothly.<ref>Ginsberg, Johanna. "[https://www.proquest.com/docview/364829456/ Unsung Heroes]". ''Jewish News'' (Whippany, New Jersey). 9 February 2006. p. 1.</ref>
The ''gabbai'' may be responsible for calling [[Torah reading#Aliyot|congregants up to the Torah]].<ref>Wex, Michael. "[https://www.proquest.com/docview/362686852/ Politics And The Gabbai]". ''The New York Jewish Week''. 21 September 2007. p. 3.</ref> In some synagogues, the ''gabbai'' stands next to the Torah reader, holding a version of the text with [[nikkud|vowels]] and [[Hebrew cantillation|trope]] markings (which are not present in the actual [[Torah scroll]]), following along in order to correct the reader if the reader makes an error. In other synagogues, these responsibilities are instead that of a ''sgan'' ({{lang|he|סגן}}).
A gabbai might manage some of the financial affairs of the institution, such as collection of [[tzedakah|contributions]] and [[bookkeeper|keeping financial records]].<ref>Alpert, Carl. "[https://www.proquest.com/docview/371513802/ Who ever suspected Gabbai of synagogue was 'agent'?]" ''The New York Jewish Week''. 22 March 1975. p. 15.</ref> The administrator of charitable funds might be called the ''gabbai tzedakah''.<ref>Saiman, Chaim. "[https://www.proquest.com/docview/367923134/ The Long Arm of Halacha: Jewish Law and the Madoff Scandal]". ''Forward''. 23 January 2009. p. 11.</ref>
A gabbai's responsibilities might also include maintaining a [[Jewish cemetery]].
==Dress== In some parts of the world, the ''gabbaim'' wear special clothing. In [[Anglo-Jewry]], for example, ''gabbaim'' in some synagogue movements have traditionally worn [[top hats]], and where there is a ''shamash'', he may wear [[wikt:canonicals|canonicals]].
==In popular culture== An example from literature is "Moshe the Beadle", a character in ''[[Night (memoir)|Night]]'' by [[Elie Wiesel]].
==References== {{reflist|30em}}
==Further reading== * ''Yad LaTorah: Laws and Customs of the Torah Service - A Guide for Gabba'im and Torah Readers'' by Kenneth Goldrich, published by the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism and the Rabbinical Assembly.
[[Category:Gabbaim| ]] [[Category:Jewish religious occupations]] [[Category:Jewish leadership roles]] [[Category:Titles]] [[Category:Aramaic words and phrases]] [[Category:Aramaic words and phrases in Jewish prayers and blessings]]