The Rabbi (Rav)
The word Rabbi means “teacher”. The Rabbi’s primary role is to instruct and guide the community in the study and practice of Judaism. Rabbis derive their authority from an extensive education in the traditional sources of Jewish texts as well as secular studies. A Rabbi is chosen by a congregation to be an interpreter of the Jewish tradition and a spiritual leader. Rabbis today hold university degrees and are graduates of accredited seminaries where they are ordained.
The Cantor (Chazzan)
Jewish tradition dictates a distinctive musical format or ‘flavour’ (called nusach) for each service, whether weekday, Shabbat or Festival. The Cantor is entrusted by the congregation with the unique musical heritage of the Jewish people, expressing spiritual leadership through song, sacred chant, choral development, teaching, pastoral counseling and sharing in the life experiences of the congregants. Like Rabbis, Chazzanim receive their investiture under the auspices of major Jewish seminaries.
The Torah Reader (Ba’al Koreh)
As in ancient times, text in the Torah scroll contains no vowels, punctuation or musical notes, so those reading from the Torah must memorize their portion. They combine Judaic knowledge with training in the tropes (cantillation, or in Hebrew, Ta’amei HaMikra — literally, the flavour of the reading). Torah readers are often lay members of the congregation. KBI is very proud of its cadre of volunteer Torah readers, including experienced ‘veterans’, adults returning to Torah study even years after their b’nei mitzvah, and teens and young adults following their own bar mitzvah or bat mitzvah.
The Congregation (Kehillah)
The active involvement of the congregation in songs and readings is an essential component of the Jewish prayer experience. KBI is proud to be an egalitarian community. Members of any gender may participate in all functions of the worship. KBI observes the ancient tradition of sequentially calling those who are Kohein, Levi, and Yisrael tribespeople to the Torah, corresponding to descendants of the ancient High Priests, Levites, and the rest of the Israelite population respectively. Members of other faiths are warmly welcome to attend our services and may participate in select roles in the services as allowed by Jewish law.