The most important roles in a synagogue
are:
The Rabbi: Jewish scholar who is charged
with answering the legal questions of a con-
gregation.
Shaliach tzibur or Shatz: Leads those assem-
bled in prayer and sometimes prays on behalf
of the community.
Hazzan: A trained vocalist who acts as shatz.
Chosen for a good voice, knowledge of tradi-
tional tunes, understanding of the meaning
of the prayers and sincerity in reciting them.
Baal kriyah or baal koreh (master of the
reading): reads the weekly Torah portion.
Gabbai: Calls people up to the Torah, assigns
the shatz for each prayer session if there is no
standard shatz, and makes certain that the
synagogue is kept clean and supplied.
IV. Rituals
R
ituals are a predominant part of Jewish reli-
gion, they are part of their culture and func-
tion as a means to tell when a person has entered
a new stage in life. These different rituals have
undergone a series of changes throughout centu-
ries, following their adaptation to new places and
also the reinterpretation of their sacred scriptures.
Some of these changes can be seen specifically in
the acceptance of rituals for women, which is quite
new.
An interesting fact is that only the male
circumcision ritual is written in a commandment.
In the following paragraphs we will discuss only a
few of them, starting with their rites of passage.
Rites of passage
1) Birth
As stipulated in the first commandment of the
Torah, Jewish are encouraged to reproduce: “be
fruitful and multiply” (Genesis 1:28). Therefore,
when a newborn is welcomed into the world, he or
she is introduced to the religion and the congrega-
tion with a ceremony.
Male circumcision
“This is my covenant which you shall keep;
every male among you shall be circumcised,
and you shall be circumcised in the flesh of your
foreskin.”
(Genesis 17:10 - 11)
It is considered a commitment between the new-
born and the congregation: Brit Milah literally
means “the Covenant of Circumcision”. It is usu-
ally performed 8 days after the boy’s birth, unless
there are medical reasons not to, in which case it
will be postponed. Family and friends get to-
gether to welcome the baby into their community.
During the ceremony, the boy is given a Hebrew
name and people around him pray and offer best
wishes and benedictions.
Steps:
1. Godmother hands the baby to a godfather.
2. He takes the baby into a room with only
males.
3. The baby is put on the knee of the sandek.
4. A blessing is pronounced and the baby is
circumcised.
5. A cup of wine is blessed and the mohel
states the baby’s name.
6. He places a drop of wine in the baby’s
tongue.
According to literature on the subject, the
circumcision is divided in three stages: “1) milah,
removal of the foreskin; 2) peri’ah, tearing off and
folding back of the mucous membrane to expose
the glans; 3) metsitsah, the suction of the blood
from the wound”. It is generally performed by the
mohel, a specialist.
Birth of a daughter
Since Jewish people do make several differences
between genders, it is not unusual then, to find
that the rite involving the birth of a girl is different
from a boy’s. For girls, the father is called to read
the Torah in front of the congregation on the first
Sabbath after her birth.