A Gabbai (Hebrew: גבאי) (or sometimes: Shamash שמש} is a person who assists in the running of a synagogue and ensures that the needs are met, for example the Jewish prayer services run smoothly, or an assistant to a rabbi (particularly the secretary or personal assistant to a HassidicRebbe). A gabbai's obligations might also include maintaining a Jewish cemetery.
In many synagogues the gabbai is not a permanent job like the one described above but rather a role in the Torah service. The gabbai stands next to the Torah reader, holding a version of the text with vowels and trop markings (which are not present in the actual Torah scroll), and follows along in order to correct the reader if he makes an error (e.g., mispronounces a word, or skips a word).
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