shamash

Alternative Spellings

shammos, schammos, shames

Definitions

• 1. candle lit first and then used to light other hanukah candles
• 2. the caretaker of a synagogue.
• 3. personal assistant / aide / gofer, especially to a rabbi or in the Hollywood entertainment industry

Example Sentences

• "The shamash is going to order new siddurim."
• "For the first night, we will need one candle and a shamash."

Languages of Origin

Textual Hebrew, Yiddish

Etymology

Heb שמש shamásh, Yiddish שמשׂ shámes

Who Uses This

Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education
Jews: Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and organizational involvements

Regions

North America

Dictionaries

The New Joys of Yiddish, by Leo Rosten and Lawrence Bush (New York, 2003[1968]).
The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).
Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).
JPS: The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001)