Rebbe

Please note that the content of this book primarily consists of articles available from Wikipedia or other free sources online. Rebbe, which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the identical Hebrew word Rabbi. It mostly refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement. In accordance with Yiddish pronunciation norms, the stress is on the first syllable and the final vowel is sometimes reduced to a schwa. The Hebrew letters for rebbe, resh-bet-yud, according to some interpretations, form an acronym for "rosh bnei yisroel", meaning "the spiritual head of the Children of Israel". More than just a rabbi, a rebbe by definition needs to be a Tzaddik; and if his influence is felt even outside of his own circles then he would also be considered a manhig Yisroel, (one of the spiritual leaders of his generation).