Ba'al Keri'ah
Also called 'Ba'al Koray.' Officiant who reads the Torah from the scroll in the synagogue with proper accentuation and cantillation.
Ba'al Tefillah
Lit. 'master of prayer'. Generally used in contrast to 'Hazzan' to designate a person who leads the prayers in a simple style with a pleasing voice.
Badhan
Hebrew lit. entertainer. A merrymaker, rhymester, and musician who entertains primarily at weddings. Professional Jewish singers called badhanim or leizanim ('jesters') are mentioned in medieval rabbinical literature (e.g. R. Elijah b. Isaac of Carcassonne's Asufot) as entertainers at weddings, and…
Avodah
Literally translated as ‘service,’ Avodah is the name for the sacrificial ritual in the Temple on the Day of Atonement, or Yom Kippur. After the destruction of the second Temple, the poetic description of this service became the core of the Musaf liturgy for Yom Kippur. The liturgical substitute…
Amen
Literally translated as “it is true,” “so be it” or “may it become true.” This word is used as a formula to endorse a blessing said privately or heard as part of a synagogue service. It is found thirty times in the Bible as an interjection of communal confirmation. Reciting amen after a blessing is…
Akedah
Refers to the biblical narrative of the binding of Isaac found in the book of Genesis 22:1-19. God commands Abraham to offer his son Isaac as a sacrifice, which he follows, “binding” his son on the altar. An angel of God holds Abraham’s hand, preventing him from completing the act, and replaces…
Avinu Malkenu
Literally translated, “our Father, our King,” Avinu Malkenu is a litany recited during the ten day period between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur and in some communities on fast days. Each verse opens with the words Avinu Malkenu, but the number and order of the verses and the timing of the litany in…
Akdamut millin
A hymn that precedes the Torah blessing and the reading of the Torah on Shavuot. Historically, the poem was recited as an introduction to the Aramaic translation of the section read from the book of Exodus. This poem consists of ninety acrostic lines which spell out a double alphabet as well as the…
Amidah
The core element of each of the daily services. The Amidah was originally referred to as the Shemoneh-Esreh because of the eighteen benedictions which it originally comprised, and also as ha’tfillah, or the prayer, because of its centrality to the service. Literally translated, Amida means “…
Sheli'akh Tzibbur
lit. representative of the congregation. An insiders' name for any prayer leader or cantor leading the public throughout the liturgical service in the synagogue.
Kiddush
Lit. Sanctification. The blessing (over wine) by which the Sabbath or festival is ushered in.
Hazzan (pl. Hazzanim)
1. In Temple and talmudic days, the hazzan was a general communal functionary. Since the 6th century c.e., the hazzan has functioned as the leader (cantor) who recites aloud the prayers before the congregation. Also used in contrast to Ba'al Tefillah (q.v.). 2. In Talmudic sources, the term hazzan…