{{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—a person who assists in the running of synagogue 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 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 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 vowels and 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 contributions and 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 canonicals.
==In popular culture== An example from literature is "Moshe the Beadle", a character in ''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