Chazan

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A designated leader in Jewish worship who performs vocal prayers and music
2. An individual who serves as a spiritual guide through the singing and chanting of liturgical texts in Judaism
3. A person appointed to lead the congregation in prayer through vocal chants during Jewish worship

Etymology: The Hebrew "khazán" means something close to "overseer" or "one who sees to a thing," and its root sense is tied to seeing and watching over. In the synagogue, the role grew from that supervisory meaning into a leadership one: the person standing at the front (the "amud," or reading desk) voices the prayers so the congregation can follow and respond. The term is used in both Ashkenazi and Sephardi communities, which is why you will also see the spelling "hazzan" in English texts. The English form "chazan" is simply a transliteration of the Hebrew, with the initial "ch" representing the guttural sound of the Hebrew letter "ḥet." Because English has no single standard for rendering that sound, the same word appears as "hazzan," "chazzan," or "cantor" depending on the author. Only the spelling differs; the word and its meaning are the same.