21 Jul HOW DO YOU SPELL RABBI?

The Sages
use different
titles to refer
to different
levels of
s c h o l a r s
because not
all rabbis
have equal authority. In order
of increasing importance: Rav,
Rabbi, Rabban, the scholar’s name
(Tosefta, Eduyos 3:4). Among the
last group we include Hillel and
Shammai. Generally speaking,
Rabban refers to someone who led
the Sanhedrin. You had to obtain
classical rabbinic ordination in
Israel in order to be called Rabbi.
Rav is the diaspora equivalent,
for those who could not obtain
ordination in Israel.
Nearly a thousand years after the
close of the Talmud, it became
apparent that divergent traditions
had emerged for the proper
pronunciation of what I spelled
above as Rabbi. By the late
eighteenth century, there were a
surprising number of proposed
vowelizations of the title, which
seem to have converged in the
nineteenth century into one primary
spelling. In theory, matters like this
can be easily resolved by looking
at the Kaufmann manuscript of
the Mishnah, which includes
vowels. However, the manuscript
consistently abbreviates the term
Rabbi as R, leaving it without
vowels. Similarly, because the
word appears a few times in the
prayerbook, in quotations from
Talmud and Midrash, we should be
able to check the vowelization in
prayerbook manuscripts. However,
they tend to diverge greatly.
I. Ribbi
Rav Shimon Ben Tzemach Duran
(Rashbatz, 15th cen., Spain-Algeria;
Magen Avos, Avos 2:1) insists that
the proper pronunciation of the title
is Ribbi, with a chirik vowel under
the first letter reish, and not Rabbi,
with a pasach under the reish. He
says that if it was the latter, the title
would be a diminution. It would
mean “my master,” implying that
he is not a universal authority but
only an authority for you.
R. Eliyahu Levita (Ha-Bachur,
16th cen., Italy; Sefer Ha-Tishbi,
entry for Rav) notes that many
prayerbooks vowelize it as Rebbi,
with a sheva under the reish. He
argues that this cannot be correct
because this would be an active
sheva, which would render the
second letter a veis and the word
would be Revvi. He also says that
“we Ashkenazim” (he moved to
Italy after Jews were expelled from
his town in Germany) pronounce
the word as if there is a chataf
kamatz under the reish — Robbi
(like choli, illness). However, he
sees no basis for this pronunciation.
Rather, he agrees with Rashbatz
that the title is pronounced Ribbi.
He cites as proof the fact that
some poets (paytanim) signed their
poems be-ribbi (beis, reish, yud,
beis, yud), as in R. Eliezer be-Ribbi
Kalir, meaning R. Eliezer the son of
R. Kalir. This indicates that these
poets spelled the title Ribbi.
II. Rubbi
The controversial but influential
grammarian, R. Shlomo Zalman
Hanau (18th cen., Germany;
Sha’arei Tefillah, par. 49) quotes
R. Ya’akov Penso (17th cen., Italy;
Divrei Agur) as saying that the
title should be pronounced Robbi,
with a chataf kamatz. R. Hanau
dismisses this as untenable. Instead,
he believes it is pronounced Rubbi
(like ruby), with a shuruk (kubutz)
under the reish. He says that it
means “my master,” apparently
unaware of or unconcerned with
Rashbatz’s argument that this
diminishes the bearer of the title.
Rav Ya’akov Emden (18th
cen., Germany) was, in general,
incensed with R. Hanau’s
grammatical innovations
and his attempts to “correct”
traditional texts. He published
a book, Lu’ach Eresh, to defend
traditional prayerbooks against
R. Hanau’s grammatical changes.
On this issue, Rav Emden (Siddur
Beis Ya’akov, s.v. R. Yishmael)
dismisses R. Hanau’s suggestion
of Rubbi and instead advocates
for the spelling Revvi (sheva
under the reish).
III. Rabbi
Dr. Seligmann Baer (19th cen.,
Germany; Siddur Avodas Yisrael,
s.v. R. Yishmael), whose texts and
commentaries
served in some
ways as the
basis of later
A s h k e n a z i c
e d i t i o n s ,
argues for the
spelling of
Rabbi, with a
pasach under
the reish. He
says that it is
an Aramaic
form of the
word “rav,
m a s t e r , ”
meaning “my master.” Dr. Baer
disputes R. Levita’s proof from
the signatures of poets. He claims
that the signatures are only beirabbi, with the yud before the reish,
not after it as R. Levita claims.
This leaves the spelling of Rabbi
ambiguous.
Dr. Baer proves that Rabbi is the
correct spelling by comparing it to
the title Rabban, which everyone
agrees is spelled with a pasach
under the reish. The word ends with
a nun, which makes it greater than
Rabbi. Similarly, we find the words
“Rabbo” (his rabbi), “Rabbach”
(your rabbi) and “Rabboseinu”
(our rabbis), which appear in
prayerbooks with a pasach under
the reish. “Rabbach” appears in
the Mishnah (Avos 4:12) and is
spelled this way in the Kaufmann
manuscript.
Dr. Baer brings proof from Rav
Yosef’s statement in Eruvin (75b)
that he confused the words “Rabbi”
(i.e. R. Yehudah Ha-Nasi) and
“rabbim” (the public). He had
heard a teaching about the public
and mistakenly thought it was
stating R. Yehudah Ha-Nasi’s view.
Clearly, the title Rabbi sounds like
the word “rabbim,” and should be
pronounced with a pasach under the
reish.
Rashbatz had argued that the
pronunciation Rabbi diminishes
the title, making it “my master”
rather than everyone’s master. Dr.
Baer counters that it is a sign of
respect, just like the French word
“monsieur,” which literally means
“my lord.” Dr. Baer makes such
persuasive arguments that his
footnote is replicated
verbatim in Siddur
Otzar Ha-Tefillos
(s.v. R. Yishmael).
The pronunciation
Rabbi has become
standard. However,
to this day,
many Sephardim
pronounce the word
Ribbi as indicated
by Rashbatz and Rav
Ya’akov Emden.