Rebbe: Encyclopedia - Rebbe

Rebbe

Rebbe (Hebrew: רבי also rebbi) is a title that may be given to a Rabbi in Orthodox Judaism, particularly within Hasidic Judaism. It is a Hebrew word denoting "my teacher". It is also used by Orthodox Jews when they talk of their first or main teacher of Torah.

Rebbe - In Jewish history

Historically, the early teachers of the Mishnah (in early Greek and Roman times) were called Rebbe, such as Rabbi Akiva, Rebbi Judah haNasi and Rebbi Simeon bar Yohai.

Rebbe - Founding of Hasidism

The first and greatest Rebbe according to Hasidism was its founder Israel ben Eliezer known as the Ba'al Shem Tov ("Master [of the] Good Name"). His disciples who rose up or were selected for positions of leadership and their successors have thereafter been honored with the same title, Rebbe, which gradually came to imply of itself a higher spiritual status.

Rebbe - Usage

Orthodox Jews use the term to denote someone that they perceive not only as the religious leader of their congregation, but as their spiritual advisor and mentor. A Rebbe is someone whose views are accepted not just on issues of religious dogma and practice, but in all arenas of life, such as politics and social issues.

As an example, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the leader of the Chabad Lubavitch hasidim; referred to as "The Rebbe" by Lubavitch Hasidim, as well as by many non-Lubavitchers who speak of him. The word Rebbe is a Backronym that stands for Rosh Bnei Yisrael - "head [of the] Children [of] Israel."

Each Hasidic group refers to their leader as "The Rebbe". A Hasidic leader is also known as an AdMoR (an acrostic for ''Ad[oneinu] Mo[reinu] R[abeinu]'', "[Our] Master, Teacher, Rabbi").

In Israel, the best known Hasidic groups are the Ger, Nadvorna, Vizhnitz and Belz Hasidim, each having their own rebbes. In the United States of America there are the Satmar (founded by Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum), Puppa, Skulen, Skver, Czernobyl, Bobov, and Lubavitch Hasidim.

Some Hasidic rebbes have thousands of followers, or disciples called hasidim, (meaning "righteous ones"), whilst others may have only a few hundred. Some only have a title, but don't have a following beyond their own family members and a few congregants in their synagogues.

Some Hasidim, such as those who are Breslov follow their deceased Rebbe Nachman of Breslav. Similarly, the Lubavitchers remain loyal to the deceased Rabbi Schneerson, who died childless, and his followers continue to follow and venerate him after his passing.

Rebbe - Rebbes of Hasidic dynasties

There are well over a few hundred groups of Hasidim over the generations as it is impossible to list them all here, only some of the bigger and well known ones will be.

Rebbe - Rebbes of Belz

• Belz

1. Grand Rabbi Shalom Rokeach of Belz (1779 - 1855), also known as the Sar Shalom.
2. Grand Rabbi Joshua Rokeach of Belz (1825 - 1894).
3. Grand Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach (I) (1854 - 1926).
4. Grand Rabbi Aharon Rokeach (1877 - 1957), also known as Reb Arele, and as the Kedushath Aharon.
5. Grand Rabbi Yissachar Dov Rokeach (II) (b. 1948).

Rebbe - Rebbes of Bobov

• Bobov

1. Grand Rabbi Shlomo Halberstam (1847-1905)

2. Grand Rabbi Ben Zion Halberstam (1874-1941)

3. Grand Rabbi Shlomo Halberstam (1907-2000)

4. Grand Rabbi Naftali Halberstam (1930-2005)

5. Grand Rabbi Mordecai David Unger (b. 1955)

5. Grand Rabbi Ben Zion Halberstam (b. 1955)

Rebbe - Rebbes of Breslov

• Breslov

1. Grand Rebbe Nachman of Breslov (1772-1810)

Rebbe - Rebbes of Ger

• Ger:

1. Grand Rabbi Yitzchak Meir Alter (1798(?)-1866)
2. Grand Rabbi Yehudah Aryeh Leib Alter (1847-1905)
3. Grand Rabbi Avraham Mordechai Alter (1866-1948)
4. Grand Rabbi Yisrael Alter (1895-1977)
5. Grand Rabbi Simchah Bunim Alter (1898-1992)
6. Grand Rabbi Pinchas Menachem Alter (1926-1996)
7. Grand Rabbi Yakov Aryeh Alter (b. 1936)

Rebbe - Rebbes of Chabad Lubavitch

• Chabad Lubavitch:

1. The Alter Rebbe - Grand Rabbi Shneur Zalman Baruchovitch of Liadi (1745-1812)
2. The Mitler Rebbe - Grand Rabbi Dovber Schneuri (1773-1827)
3. The Tzemach Tzedeck - Grand Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneersohn (1789-1866)
4. The Rebbe Maharash - Grand Rabbi Shmuel Schneersohn (1834-1882)
5. The Rebbe Rashab - Grand Rabbi Sholom Dovber Schneersohn (1860-1920)
6. The Rebbe Rayatz - Grand Rabbi Joseph Isaac Schneersohn (1880-1950)
7. The Rebbe - Grand Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994)

Rebbe - Rebbes of Karlin

• Karlin-Stolin

1. Grand Rabbi Aaron HaGadol Perlow of Karlin (1736-1772)
2. Grand Rabbi Shlomo HaLevi of Karlin (1738-1792)
3. Grand Rabbi Asher Perlow of Karlin (d. 1836)
4. Grand Rabbi Aaron Perlow of Karlin - the Beth Aharon (1802-1872)
5. Grand Rabbi Asher Perlow of Karlin (d. 1873)
6. Grand Rabbi Israel Perlow of Karlin (1868-1921)
7. Grand Rabbi Yochanan Perlow of Karlin-Stolin (1900-1956)
8. Grand Rabbi Baruch Yaakov Meir Shochet of Karlin-Stolin (b. 1955)

Rebbe - Rebbes of Satmar Sighet-Uhel

• Satmar

1. Grand Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum of Uhel (1759-1841) - The Yismach Moshe
2. Grand Rabbi Eleazer Nissan Teitelbaum of Drobitsch - (son of the Yismach Moshe)
3. Grand Rabbi Yekuthiel Yehudah Teitelbaum of Sighet - The Yetev Lev - (son of Rebbe Eleazer Nissan)
4. Grand Rabbi Chananyah Yom Tov Lipa Teitelbaum of Sighet - The Kedushath Yom Tov - (son of the Yetev Lev)
5. Grand Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Teitelbaum of Sighet - The Atzei Chaim- (son of the Kedushath Yom Tov)
6. Grand Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum (1887 – 1979) of Satmar - The Divrei Yoel, author of Vayoel Moshe - (son of the Kedushath Yom Tov)
7. Grand Rabbi Moshe Teitelbaum - Current Satmar Rebbe - The Berach Moshe - (son of the Atzei Chaim)

Rebbe - Rebbes of Skverr

• Skverr

1. Grand Rabbi Isaac Twersky of Skverr
2. Grand Rabbi David Twersky of Skverr (1848-1919)
3. Grand Rabbi Jacob Joseph of Skverr (1899-1968)
4. Grand Rabbi David of Skverr (present Rebbe of Skverr)

Rebbe - Rebbes of Toldos Aharon-Reb Arele

• Reb Arele

1. Grand Rabbi Aharon "Arele" Roth, the previous Shomer Emunim Rebbe

2. Grand Rabbi Avraham Chaim Roth, the present Shomer Emunim Rebbe, son of Reb Arele

2. Grand Rabbi Avraham Yitzchak Kahn, the previous Toldos Aharon Rebbe, author of Divrei Emunah - son-in-law of Reb Arele

3. Grand Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov Kahn, the Toldos Avraham Yitzchak Rebbe, son of the Divrei Emunah

3. Grand Rabbi Dovid Kahn, the present Toldos Aharon Rebbe, son of the Divrei Emunah

Rebbe - Rebbes of Viznitz

• Viznitz

1. Grand Rabbi Menachem Mendel Hager - The Tzemach Tzaddik

2. Grand Rabbi Baruch Hager - The Imrei Baruch

3. Grand Rabbi Yisrael Hager - The Ahavas Yisrael

4. Grand Rabbi Chaim Meir Hager - The Imrei Chaim

5. Grand Rabbi Moshe Yehoshua Hager - The current Rebbe of Vizhnitz

5. Grand Rabbi Mordechai Hager - The current Rebbe of the Monsey branch of Vizhnitz

See also

• Rabbi
• Tzadik
• Hasidic Judaism

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Rebbe", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki