torah-reading logistics

[cellio]

Ah, the life of a gabbai [1] (I guess that's what I am now). I have no volunteer to read torah on February 21 (5 weeks away), so that means I'll cover it. That's ok, except that the person signed up for the following week is tentative (she's getting ready to move out of town). So I had been planning to be an understudy for her. Last time I tried to learn two portions simultaneously the results were not good; I don't think I'm ready to do that again yet.

I believe this is a local problem, not a global one. We've got several readers (I'd like a few moe); it's just that February seems to be bad for scheduling. Oops.

One of the people I had been counting as a regular told me that he can't commit to anything right now and he'd tell me why privately. (That hasn't happened yet.) I suspect health-related issues. That's unfortunate; he's very good, and was one-fifth of the core group. (In addition to the core group, all of whom can prepare a portion on a month's notice or less but would rather not, we've had several one-time readers, one of whom just signed up for a second time. So he'll become core, I think, but he currently wants long lead times -- which is perfectly understandable.)

So this more-or-less works right now, except if we get unfortunate combinations of vacations or business trips or the like. We need to build up the group some before summer, though, when that gets worse. I need to figure out how to do that.

[1] The gabbai, as I understand the term, is the person who makes sure that all the details of services happen -- most significantly, in my case, that there is a torah reader each week who is prepared. (I've been making the photocopies of portions and mailing them out as needed, and of course maintaining the assignment list. I am not yet qualified to make tape recordings, unfortunately.)

Comments

[goljerp]

I've certainly heard Gabbai used in this way. A Gabbai is also one of two people who are traditionally at the Torah-reading table with the Torah reader, and who have a copy of the text being read (with the vowels and trope) and who correct the Torah reader if he or she makes a mistake. The gabbais also call people to the torah, and say misheberachs if needed.

In my minyan, we have coordinators who handle each aspect of getting people to do stuff for the service, including a "Gabbai coordinator", so the Gabbais at the service just deal with the Torah reading. But that's us...

[cellio]

A Gabbai is also one of two people who are traditionally at the Torah-reading table with the Torah reader

I've heard that usage too -- and I'm definitely not yet qualified to fill that role. I've also heard the person who organizes things called the gabbai, and the person who just hands out aliyot and does nothing else called the gabbai, and... it's all very confusing. I need a new word. :-)

The way we're organizing things right now is that the person who signs up for torah reading is also responsible for the torah service and concluding prayers, for choosing the people who will receive honors, for reading haftarah (we almost always do it in English), and for giving a little drash on the torah portion. Delegation is certainly permitted, but what they promise me when they sign up is that it will be taken care of. I don't assign aliyot etc on a weekly basis; only when I'm the reader.

Is there a better word to describe what I do succinctly, I wonder?

[sanpaku.livejournal.com]

Is there a better word to describe what I do succinctly, I wonder?

"Chair of the Ritual Committee" :-)

Though I think the broader usage is technically correct, I've never heard it actually used to describe anyone but the person at the Bimah.

[goljerp]

Is there a better word to describe what I do succinctly, I wonder?

I dunno. The term "Shamash" used to be used for a general helper-about-the-shul, but I think it's grown to have a slightly negative connotation. At the very least, I haven't heard that used to describe anyone in real life, while I have heard "gabbai" used to describe various functions...