Category: Gabbai

Monday Morning Gabbai

Most of the questions seem innocent enough: “Why did we stop there in the Torah leining?”, “Why did Sam get Maftir, does he have a Yahrzeit?”, but the art of being a Monday Morning Gabbai (MMG) can start to cross red lines. Of course the second guessing doesn’t wait to Monday or even Sunday. It usually starts right after davening and sometimes it’s done in real time, even with our Twitter and Facebook feeds turned off for Shabbos.

On one hand it’s good for the members to pay attention to the service, and any halachic related question is certainly worth asking. On Parshas Zachor, we have an extra reading after Mussaf for women who couldn’t make it for the Shacharis leining. There was a slight switch in the leining and inquiries as to what happened led to some halachic insights by the Rav.

However some inquiries regarding the Baalei Tefillah and who gets kibbudim, call into question the judgement of the Gabbai. Accountability is normally a healthy thing, but when we’re talking about volunteers, and specifically a job like the Gabbai, which is one of the most difficult in the Shul, we have to be careful, sensitive and appreciative to the person who accepts this role week in and week out. He has to regularly make judgment calls on the spot, and it’s impossible to be perfect, so we need to cut him a little more slack.

We were playing MMG this Shabbos and trying to figure out why a certain protocol was not followed. I’m good friends with the Gabbai and I asked him politely, after davening, what went into the decision. He related the details, which is what we figured, and he even said I could post about it on Shul Politics.

Good Gabbais are hard to come by, so treat yours with the appreciation and respect he deserves.

Yom Tovim in Shul – Of Guests and Gabbaim

Yom Tovim are wonderful times for Shuls. In Eretz Yisroel, 3 of the 7 days were major davening days, while in Chutz L’Aretz 5 of the 8 days were major davening days this year.

The major issue is accommodating the many guests. Of course the always present seating issue arises. Most people will gladly give up there makom kavua for a given tefilla, and giving it up for a week presents an increased opportunity to display selflessness. In my observations, people are usually up to the challenge, and it can be made even easier if the host families strongly and sincerely express their thanks for the accommodation.

Watching the Gabbai try to accommodate kibbudim for all the guests is a sight to behold. Most people are happy when their father, brother, son and in-law variations get an aliyah or other honor, and it’s the Gabbai’s job to make as many people as happy as possible. In addition the Gabbai has to get many Baalei Tefillah, trying to match Shul member preferences with personal styles.

The Krias HaTorah line up has to be selected, and due to the shorter leining length, more younger members want to try their hand at kriah. Usually it works out, but when somebody is not so prepared, or a little nervous, it can be awkward for both the leiner and the listeners.

The last accommodation is for Shiurim. Sons and sons-in-laws learning in Yeshiva are home for the holiday and it’s a great opportunity for them to prepare and deliver a shiur to the Shul. It’s also an opportunity for members to hear different styles of shiurim and for fathers and father-in-laws to shep a little nachas.

Shuls are front and center during the Yom Tovim and it’s an added delight when our extended families can enhance the learning and davening.

The Power of the Gabbai

Despite the fact that the Gabbai wields power, it’s still one of the hardest jobs to fill in a Shul. Your davening is distracted every Shabbos as you try to get Baalei Tefillah, maintain the decorum, prevent service shlepping syndrome, check the Yahrzeit lists and make sure that the Aliyos and other Kibbudim are distributed appropriately. And invariably you will get some flack for not given an Aliyah to the guy who’s distant relative has a Yahrzeit.

Perhaps more importantly, the Gabbai is charged with implementing how the davening is run with direction from the Rabbi. Most wise Rebbeim understand the difficulty of that position and give the Gabbai some leeway in the davening implementation. The guidelines are specified by the Rabbi and perhaps a Ritual Committee, but the whos, whats, whens and hows are in the hands of the Gabbai.

An example will illustrate. In last week’s Growth Through Continuous Improvement post, I related that in the Rav’s drasha, he said that while talking between aliyos is a leniency we allow in the Shul, we should limit it to Torah topics and minimize it to the degree possible. Last Shabbos before leining, my friend said that it would be good if someone made an announcement referencing the Rav’s directive from the previous week. I suggested he tell the Gabbai and he did.

The Gabbai made a public announcement that the Rav had said that it would be best if we would refrain from talking during the leining, which was not exactly what the Rav said. However the Shul was extremely quiet during the entire leining. Whether our Shul, which has a good social component, is ready to take it to this level without another social outlet like a weekly kiddush, is a good question. The point is that the Gabbai implemented the drasha directive according to his understanding, which was a little more restrictive than the Rav.

Some people might see the Gabbai’s power in this area as a problem. They’re willing to follow the lead of the Rav, but not the Gabbai, especially when it is more stringent then their personal leanings. Others understand that the Gabbai must have some discretion and they’ll go to the Rav if they think the Gabbai is out stepping the bounds of where the congregation is holding. Awareness of this issue is probably more prevalent in growth culture shuls, but it illustrates the challenges of collective spiritual service and growth.