Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Name, Title, or Honorific?

Question:
I am a researcher involved in an oral history project and am dealing with an individual who is referred to as: “HaRav HaGaon, HaTzaddik, Avraham HaLevi Jungreis”. I suspect that some of these words may in fact be honorifics rather than part of the subject’s actual name. Can you help me to determine if this is so?

Answer:

Here is how this mixture of name, title, and honorifics breaks down:

HaRav = the Rabbi
HaGaon = the Genius
HaTzaddik = the Righteous
Avraham = [given name]
HaLevi = the Levite [meaning: from the tribe of Levi but not a Kohen (priestly family)]
Jungreis = [family name]

1 comment:

  1. There is a four volume work listing all the honorific tiles, appropriately title Encyclopedia le-te'are Kavod be-Yisrae by Avraham Orenstein, Tel Aviv.

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