rabbi
rabbi
Pronunciation
IPA Phonetic Spelling and Syllabification
The most common IPA phonetic spelling for the English word "rabbi" is:
IPA: /ˈræ.baɪ/
Syllable Breakdown
The word is divided into two syllables, with the stress on the first syllable:
First Syllable: /ræb/
Sound 1: /r/ - the 'r' sound as in "red"
Sound 2: /æ/ - the short 'a' sound as in "cat"
Sound 3: /b/ - the 'b' sound as in "ball"
Second Syllable: /aɪ/
Sound 1: /aɪ/ - the diphthong or long 'i' sound as in "eye" or "tie"
Word Form Variations
The primary word form variations for "rabbi" are:
Singular Noun: rabbi (e.g., The rabbi gave a sermon.)
Plural Noun: rabbis (e.g., Several rabbis attended the conference.)
Adjective: rabbinic or rabbinical (e.g., She is enrolled in a rabbinic school. or He has a rabbinical degree.)
Related Noun: rabbinate (e.g., He was appointed to the rabbinate. - referring to the office or tenure of a rabbi, or the body of rabbis collectively.)
Related Noun (Archaic/Historical): rabbin
Definitions, Synonyms and Antonyms
Noun
Definition 1 (Religious Leader): An ordained spiritual and religious leader in Judaism, authorized to perform religious rites, interpret Jewish law (Halakha), and act as the principal teacher and counselor of a congregation or community.
Synonyms: clergyman, minister, priest (in a general sense of religious leader), spiritual teacher, master (archaic/literal Hebrew meaning), rebbe (specifically a Hasidic spiritual leader).
Antonyms: layperson, follower, congregant, parishioner.
Definition 2 (Form of Address): A title of respect used when addressing or referring to an ordained Jewish leader, often preceding their name.
Synonyms: Master, Teacher, Reverend (as an equivalent respectful title in another faith).
Antonyms: (None directly applicable as an opposite form of respectful address; the context is one of address).
Definition 3 (Slang/Informal): An influential person, mentor, or advisor who offers guidance, patronage, or protection, especially in business or professional matters.
Synonyms: guru, mentor, patron, advisor, counselor, sponsor.
Antonyms: novice, student, protégé, apprentice.
Adjective (Derived forms: rabbinic, rabbinical)
Definition: Relating to, characteristic of, or involving a rabbi or the body of Jewish teachings, writings, or practices from the Talmudic period onward.
Synonyms: clerical, ecclesiastical, ministerial, scholastic (relating to scholarship), Talmudic.
Antonyms: secular, lay, non-religious, popular (opposed to scholarly or official).
Examples of Use
Books and Literature (as an Intellectual/Fictional Title)
"More than five decades later, in the mid-1960s, a rabbi-sleuth protagonist debuted in Harry Kemelman's weekday Rabbi Small series (Friday the Rabbi Slept Late, Saturday the Rabbi Went Hungry, etc.)." (UC Press Journals, February 2025)
"In a subsequent narrative turn, Rabbi Solovetichik and his son-in-law Rabbi Aharon Lichtenstein offered Kolbrener his needed creativity and self-creation. They offered a cure for the potential fundamentalism of Orthod1oxy..." (Kavvanah Blog, February 2017)
"When Rabbi Yoḥanan reached this verse in which God spoke to the Adversary angel about Job, he wept aloud: When a slave's master is incited by others to act harshly against the slave, and his master follows suit, is there any remedy for the slave?" (The 2Lehrhaus, February 2024)
Newspapers and Online Publications (as a Professional Title/Leader)
"Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove: A Voice of Balance and Influence in a Time of Crisis." (The Blogs, September 2025)
"Rabbi Gil Student... I have private Yoreh Yoreh smicha from Rav Hershel Schachter, Rav Menachem Genack and Rav Elazar Teitz." (The Jewish Vues, October 2024)
"If the ticket of entry to the Jewish community is assent to the stated policies of the Israeli government, then we will find ourselves with many people opting out... said Rabbi Cosgrove." (The Blogs, September 2025)
"My mother, who lived to 100, had two traits you rarely see together: incredible sweetness and incredible shrewdness. When Mom took over the newspaper, the media business was quite male-dominated. She had no college education and no training, but Mom held her own... 3Rabbi Hillel Goldberg." (Mishpacha Magazine, September 2003)
Entertainment and Media (as an Expert/Public Figure)
"Jacob Shmuel 'Shmuley' Boteach... is an American rabbi, author, and media host. He hosted two seasons of the reality television series Shalom in the Home on TLC." (Wikipedia, March 2012)
"Take It From This Rabbi: You Should Binge-Watch Netflix's 'Long Story Short' for the High Holidays. Benjamin Resnick is the rabbi of the Pelham Jewish Center in Pelham, New York..." (Washington Jewish Week, September 2025)
"Lynn Gottlieb is one of the first ten women to become a rabbi in Jewish history. She is a pioneer Jewish feminist, writer, visual and performing artist, master storyteller..." (The Wellbeing Project, Undated)
General Public Discourse (as an Authority on Morality/Civics)
"Testimony of Rabbi Jill Jacobs... before the House Education and Workforce Subcommittee on Early Childhood, Elementary, and Secondary Education: Antisemitism in schools is serious and dangerous." (T'ruah, September 2025)
"Why do some people need me to say what they're thinking about Israel? asked Rabbi Neil Amswych of Temple Beth Shalom... Every public statement lacking nuance that I make brings some people who agree with it closer to the Temple, and simultaneously pushes some people who disagree further away." (NM Jewish Journal, July 2025)
"Rabbi Joachim Prinz’s most famous address, entitled “The Issue is Silence,” at the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963, delivered in his capacity as president of the American Jewish Congress..." (American Jewish Historical Society, April 2025)
10 Famous Quotes Using Rabbi
“Calling a taxi in Texas is like calling a rabbi in Iraq.” (Fran Lebowitz)
"I refuse to stand up in front of a rabbi and my friends and the woman I love... and promise she will be the only one I will ever have until the day I die." (Gene Simmons)
"The dangers is that every religion, including the Catholic one, says 'I have the ultimate truth.' Then you start to rely on the priest, the mullah, the rabbi, or whoever, to be responsible for your acts." (Paulo Coelho)
"I learned early on that 'rabbi' means teacher, not priest." (George Steiner)
"I have ended as a Reform Rabbi, grateful to Christianity for so many good things." (Lionel Blue)
"When I would hear the rabbi tell about some miracle such as a bush whose leaves were shaking but there wasn't any wind, I would try to fit the miracle into the real world..." (Richard P. Feynman)
"How can a rabbi not live with doubt? The Bible itself is a book of doubt." (Arthur Hertzberg)
"My wife and I are affiliated with a temple here in Los Angeles... We feel very close to the congregation and to the rabbi, who happens to be my wife's cousin and who I admire greatly." (Leonard Nimoy)
"A child who goes to school and shares his or her lunch with the classmates, is a billion times greater and more religious than all the book-learned priests, imams, rabbis and pundits in the world combined." (Celso Cukierkorn)
"If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? But when I am for myself, then what am 'I'? And if not now, when?" (Rabbi Hillel the Elder, Pirkei Avot 1:14)
Etymology
The English word rabbi has a rich history that can be traced back through several ancient languages. In simple terms, it means "my master" or "my teacher."
Here is a breakdown of its origin and initial meaning:
Original Root (Semitic): The word's ultimate root is in the ancient Semitic languages, specifically the Hebrew word **rav** {רַב}, which means "great," "master," or "teacher."
Hebrew Formation: To turn **rav** into a direct address, the suffix **-i** (meaning "my" or "mine") was added, creating **rabbī** {רַבִּי}.
First Known Meaning: This was originally an honorific used by a student or follower to directly address their respected teacher or master: "My Master" or "My Teacher."
Adoption into Greek and Latin: As Judaism spread and interacted with the Roman world, the Hebrew **rabbī** was borrowed into Koine Greek as **rhabbí** {ῥαββί}, and then into Late Latin as **rabbī**.
The use in the New Testament (in Greek) by followers addressing Jesus and other teachers is a key historical example of this.
Entry into English: The word entered English, typically through Old French or Late Latin/Ecclesiastical Greek, during the Middle English period (around 1250–1300 CE).
In summary: The word started as a respectful term of address for a teacher in ancient Judaism, literally meaning "my master," and evolved into a formal title for an ordained religious leader as it was passed into European languages.
Phrases + Idioms Containing Rabbi
Since the word rabbi is a formal title and not frequently used in common figurative English idioms, the following list includes traditional Jewish phrases (often translated from Hebrew or Yiddish) and modern English phrases that use the word or its primary synonym, master or teacher, for similar effect.
Phrases and Sayings
Ask the Rabbi: A common phrase used to indicate that a specific religious, legal, or ethical question needs to be directed to the recognized religious authority for a definitive answer.
The Rabbi's Question: Refers to a probing, often difficult, question that challenges conventional thinking or reveals a deeper, hidden moral truth (similar to "the teacher's dilemma").
Covered in the dust of their Rabbi's feet: A well-known scholarly saying, originating from the Mishnah, signifying a student's extreme devotion to learning—staying so close to their teacher (the rabbi) that they walk in the dust kicked up by the rabbi's feet.
A question for the local Rabbi: A casual way of dismissing a complex issue as one best handled by a community specialist or expert in tradition.
He speaks with the authority of a Rabbi. (Often used figuratively): A phrase describing someone who speaks with profound conviction, deep knowledge, and unquestioned moral or intellectual authority.
Like a Rabbi's sermon: A figurative description of a long, thoughtful, or perhaps overly detailed public speech or lecture.
Idioms with Synonyms (Master/Teacher)
Jack of all trades, master of none: An idiom referring to someone who has dabbled in many skills but hasn't achieved true proficiency in any (the rabbi is traditionally a master of Torah).
Old master: A term used to refer to a great teacher, artist, or skilled person, particularly from a previous era (similar to respecting an elder $\text{**rabbi**}$).
A word to the wise is sufficient (where the wise person often implies a teacher or master): Means a brief hint or suggestion is enough for an intelligent person to understand what to do.
Teaching the Master: A common analogy for trying to instruct someone who already knows much more than you do (similar to "teaching the rabbi").
Vocabulary-Based Stories from SEA
Source Information
Definition of rabbi from The Academic Glossary at Self Exploration Academy, a Urikville Press Publication. © All rights reserved.
