Reb (Yiddish)

Reb (Yiddish: רב, /ˈrɛb/) is a Yiddish or Hebrew honorific traditionally used for Orthodox Jewish men. It is not a rabbinic title.[1] In writing it is abbreviated as ר׳. On a gravestone, ב'ר is an abbreviation for ben/bat reb meaning "son/daughter of the worthy..."[1] Reb may also be a short form of Rebbe. It is generally only used for married men, sometimes an equivalent of "Mr."

A never-married man[2] is referred to as Habachur.[3][4]

History

The title was adopted by Jews at the time of the schism with the Karaites, as a sign of loyalty to Rabbinic Judaism.[5]

Usage

When addressing someone directly, Reb is usually used with the first name only ("May I help you, Reb Chaim?"). In other circumstances, it can be used with either the first name or the full name ("This is Reb Chaim Jacobs."; "Would you please help Reb Chaim?"). In formal written address, it is usually used along with the full name.

Notes
  1. Reading Hebrew Tombstones, jewishgen.org
  2. male, above Bar-Mitzvah
  3. "Petirah of Habachur Reuvein ... following an illness. He was 23 years old". The Lakewood Scoop. April 27, 2019.
  4. The prefix Ha means "the"
  5. Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Auerbach, Halikhot Shlomo 1:370-373;
    Salo Wittmayer Baron, A Social and Religious History of the Jews, vol. 5 p. 283
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