Is Reb the same as a Rebbe?
A-4: No, athough some Rebbes are called Reb. The word Reb is a Yiddish title of respect for a Jewish teacher or other respected person in the Jewish community. It is always used with a person’s name (Reb Gershom). It should never used as a stand-alone word as in "Hey, Reb!" And it does not have anything to do with "Johnny Reb" as in Southern (Rebel) Civil War soldier! The word Rebbe (pronounced REBB-uh or REBB-ee) has two different meanings. Among non-Hasidim it simply refers to a Jewish teacher. For Hasidim, however, the Rebbe is regarded as a spiritual master and guide in the mystical sense. (Some Jewish writers capitalize Rebbe when using it in a Hasidic context but use lowercase — rebbe — in the non-Hasidic context, but this is not standardized.) In many ways, a Hasidic Rebbe is loosely analagous to a Hindu guru or the abbot of a monastery, in that he is the guide for a group of disciples. The Rebbe is not regarded as a god (heaven forbid!) but he is more than
