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rabbi

rabbi

115 4.4
A Jewish religious leader who teaches people and leads services
  • noun
  • /ˈræbaɪ/
translation icon : rabino
  • The rabbi led the prayers for Yom Kippur, guiding the congregation through the rituals.
  • chief rabbi
  • rabbi said
  • son of a rabbi

There are hundreds of thousands of rabbis all over the area.

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Examples

  • Today I sit down with a rabbi to talk about having ambition.

  • The resting place of the holy rabbi would be impossible to find without a guide.

    Academic text (2008)
  • So he revealed himself to the rabbi as he had never done to Bill.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • And I think Rabbi Matt would be there as well.

  • And someone get a rabbi down here to bless this chicken.

  • There is a rabbi on board, notify him, will you?

  • There are hundreds of thousands of rabbis all over the area.

  • But I got to tell you, I've been a rabbi now for decades.

  • I'm a very progressive type of rabbi.

  • Before the Second World War, he was the rabbi of a medium-sized town in Hungary.

    Fiction book (1993)

Synonyms

rebbe
vsrabbi
16 9.9

A Jewish religious leader who guides a Hasidic community

is a legal and communal teacher focused on interpreting law rather than spiritual leadership
rabban
vsrabbi
  • Archaic
9.9

A title given long ago to respected Jewish teachers and scholars

is a living community leader and law interpreter rather than a historical honorific title

Surface Forms

rabbi singular
rabbis plural

Etymology

Rabbi comes from the Hebrew word rav meaning 'master' and the ending -i meaning 'my', so it originally meant 'my master' or 'my teacher'. That's why a rabbi is a Jewish religious teacher and leader who guides the community.