(lit. "messenger of the community"). The prayer leader or "reader" who conducts public worship in the synagogue. Whereas any Jew capable of reciting the prayers might act as the prayer reader---the Ba'Al Tefillah---on weekdays, the office of sheli'aḥ tsibbur demanded special qualifications. Early references to the sheliaḥ tsibbur, a title often abbreviated as its acronym, shats, can be found in the Mishnah (Ber. 5:5; RH 4:9, etc.).
Originally, the sheliaḥ tsibbur was chosen for his knowledge of Sabbath and festival prayer modes (see Nusaḥ) and for his ability to improvise texts and melodies. He recited the Barekhu summons to public worship; the Kaddish doxology; the Shema and its benedictions, and also repeated the Amidah with Kedushah, except at evening prayers. He conducted the service for the Reading of the Law and recited Mi She-Berakh and Memorial Prayers for those called to the Torah. From the 18th century onward, a musically trained professional Cantor often replaced the sheliaḥ tsibbur in large urban congregations. Nowadays, he may either be a full-time ḥazzan (cantor) or an unsalaried but qualified "reader," not unlike the ba'al tefillah, who serves as the cantor's deputy.
