Sunday, February 26, 2017

What's in a Title?

Q:  Who is a Rabbi, a Rebbe, Reb and Rav?

A:A rabbi is an ordained minister of the “Mosaic persuasion” who may serve a congregation, teach in a communal setting, or simply have the title and work in another entirely unrelated field.  They come from an accredited and respected institution of learning.

A rebbe refers to a hasidic leader.  They are also a rabbi but there is only one rebbe per each Hasidic sect, such as the Satmerer Rebbe, or the Munkacher Rebbe, Skvar Rebbe or Lubavitcher Rebbe.

Reb is a ttile, which conveys the same meaning as mister.  The title of reb is not determined by one’s education or position.


When his word is the final seal or arbiter of halacha (Jewish law) he is called a rav.  Rav denotes a wide acceptance of leadership and interpretation of texts and interpretation of halacha.  A rav is always a rabbi.

No comments:

Post a Comment