The Rabbi
The rabbi is the guide and spiritual leader of the synagogue and its congregation. His task is to educate and instruct the congregation and guide them to lead proper Jewish lives in accordance with the Torah’s dictates. In the context of the synagogue services, the rabbi often delivers a weekly sermon every Shabbat, which generally consists of insights into the week’s Torah portion. He also teaches the laws that are relevant to every holiday, and is available to assist and advise the congregants on a daily basis in whatever matters may concern them.
The rabbi’s seat is generally located on the eastern wall of the synagogue.
The Shaliach Tzibbur or Chazzan
The prayer services are led by an individual known as a chazzan or shaliach tzibbur. The latter term literally means “the emissary of the congregation” and indicates that the chazzan is chosen to “represent” the people as they address their prayers and entreaties to the Master of the Universe.
The chazzan stands either at the amud in the front of the synagogue or at the bimah in its center; the custom varies between different communities. In practice, the chazzan serves both as the director of the prayer services and their “conductor”, similar to the conductor of an orchestra. In some communities, the chazzan recites the entire prayer service 18 aloud for the benefit of the congregants who are unfamiliar with the words. In other communities, he prays quietly along with the congregation, reciting aloud only select portions of the prayers during the course of the services. In either case, the chazzan recites aloud the Kaddish and the repetition of the Shemoneh Esrei prayer.
In truth, the two terms used to describe the leader of the prayers are not necessarily interchangeable. The position of prayer leader is not necessarily held by a single individual; any male congregant aged thirteen or above can be called upon to serve as the shaliach tzibbur. The term shaliach tzibbur is understood to refer to anyone who leads the prayers, even a thirteen-year-old boy. The term chazzan, on the other hand, may be understood as a reference to a professional cantor.
Throughout this publication, we have opted to use the term chazzan in reference to any individual who leads the prayer services, even if he is not a professional chazzan, in order to preserve the flow of the text.
The Baal Koreh—Torah Reader
The baal koreh is another instrumental figure in the prayer services. His responsibility is to read aloud from the Torah scroll, pronouncing each word correctly and in accordance with the traditional tune for the Torah reading, known as trop. Since the Torah scroll is written without punctuation, vowel signs, or the signs signifying the notes of the trop, a baal koreh must be well-versed in the passages he reads and 19 fully conversant with the proper method of reading from the Torah.
The Gabbai
The gabbai is an officer of the synagogue who is responsible for overseeing all logistical matters pertaining to the services. Among the gabbai’s responsibilities are: setting the times for services, selecting the chazzanim who will lead the prayers and the baalei keriah (plural of baal koreh) who will be responsible for the Torah reading, and distributing the various honors that must be assigned to congregants during the course of the services.
In some synagogues, a committee of gabbaim is selected from the ranks of the congregation.
