What is the role of the Gabbai?

Gabbai, (Hebrew: “collector”, ) plural Gabbaim, or Gabbais, treasurer or honorary official of a Jewish Orthodox congregation, often placed in charge of funds used for charity.

How do you pronounce Gabbai?

noun, plural Gab·ba·im [Sephardic Hebrew gah-bah-eem; Ashkenazic Hebrew gah-bahy-im], /Sephardic Hebrew gɑ bɑˈim; Ashkenazic Hebrew gɑˈbaɪ ɪm/, English Gab·bais. (sometimes lowercase)Hebrew. a minor official of a synagogue, having limited ceremonial or administrative functions.

What does the Hebrew word aliyah mean?

going up
Aliyah, plural aliyahs, aliyoth, or aliyot, Hebrew ʿaliya (“going up”), in Judaism, the honour accorded to a worshiper of being called up to read an assigned passage from the Torah (first five books of the Bible).

What is the dictionary definition of a gabbai?

Definition of gabbai. 1 : a collector of charitable gifts or of taxes among the Jews in talmudic times. 2 : a synagogue official especially : a treasurer or administrator of synagogue funds. You must — there are over 200,000 words in our free online dictionary, but you are looking for one that’s only in the Merriam-Webster Unabridged Dictionary.

What is the meaning of the word gab?

gab·​bai | \gäˈbī\. plural gabbaim\ -​īə̇m, -​ī(ˌ)ēm \ also gabbais. 1 : a collector of charitable gifts or of taxes among the Jews in talmudic times. 2 : a synagogue official especially : a treasurer or administrator of synagogue funds.

What kind of clothing does a gabbai wear?

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 . An example from literature is “Moshe the Beadle”, a character in Night by Elie Wiesel .

What are the duties of a Gabbai in a synagogue?

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. The gabbai may be responsible for calling congregants up to the Torah.