בַּעַל תְּפִלָּה, בעל תפילה

ביטוי (אנגלית)

Ba'al Tefillah/ Cantor / Prayer Leader

הגדרה (אנגלית)

A person who knows how to serve as an agent of the congregation in prayer in the synagogue or is skilled in cantillation.

("A sergeant-ba'alat tefillah and a mischievous widow— a mistress of the neighborhood who constantly visits her neighbors—indeed these are destroyers of the world—who are nothing but adulteresses, sorceresses, and who present themselves as righteous women so they will not be scrutinized after them"—Rashi on Sotah 22a, and likewise: "Especially on terrible days, sinners also desire to pray in a minyan of ten and hire a ba'al tefillah for costly blood money and forfeit money for this"—Responsa Pe'er Aharon, section 2, and also: "It is hard for her to bear, how can she hear the joy of another ba'al tefillah and not that of the wicked son of our chazzan?"—Shalom Aleichem / We go from strength to strength, Shamat, and likewise: "As the ba'al tefillah goes out, so goes out the Torah reader who used to cover their heads with a tallit"—Agnon, 'A Package of Stories,' 95)