rebbe

Pronunciations

Definitions

  • n. The spiritual leader of a Hasidic sect.

  • n. ('The Rebbe') The Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the most recent Rebbe of the Lubavitch Hasidic dynasty.

Example Sentences

  • "Satmar now has two rebbes."

  • "The Rebbe is simply repeating what the Torah says, Eretz Yisrael is the safest place on earth. If you don’t like that you like don’t like the Torah." (source)

  • "I say we go to the rebbe for advice. Perhaps he'll give us a bracha (blessing)." (Glinert)

Languages of Origin

  • Yiddish
  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • Y רבי rebe

    • Who Uses This

      • Jews: Jews of diverse religious backgrounds and organizational involvements

      Regions

      • North America
      • Australia / New Zealand
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa

      Dictionaries

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

      Alternative Spellings

      rebbi

Notes

  • In Yiddish, 'rebbe' also refers to the teacher of a heder.

    plural: 'rebbe'im'

    See also reb and rov.

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