גָּדוֹל מְרַבָּן שְׁמוֹ

ביטוי (אנגלית)

The title of Rabbi is greater than Rav, Rabban greater than Rabbi, and all the greater when the name is mentioned without

הגדרה (אנגלית)

When a person’s name is mentioned without preceding titles, it is a sign that he is the greatest of them all (the source lies with the early Tannaim who are referred to by their personal names, such as Hillel and Shammai, who are considered greater than those called “Rabban”).

(“And just as Moses, who was Elijah’s teacher, did not wish to reveal the illegitimate until they revealed themselves, Elijah, the disciple of Moses, all the more so would not reveal the illegitimate until they revealed themselves on their own. One who has disciples and his disciples call him ‘Rabbi’ — if his disciples are forgotten, they call him ‘Rabban.’ If both these and those are forgotten, they call him by his name.” (Tosefta, Eduyot 3:4) “And for this reason you will find in the Talmud that those who were wise in disciplines other than Torah wisdom were not called either ‘Rav’ or ‘Rabbi,’ but only by their names alone. And this is not to say, ‘Greater than Rabban is his name,’ such as Tudos the physician (Bekhorot 28b), or Binyamin the physician (Shabbat 133b), or bar Natan the physician (Pesachim 56a), and the like. But those whose primary wisdom was in Torah, and for whom other wisdoms were merely an accompaniment, are called by the title ‘Rabbi.’” (Kaftor VaFerach, ch. 44) “And behold, the stature of this sage is well known. And the reason he was not called ‘Rabban’ you already know from their saying, of blessed memory: Greater than Rav is Rabbi; greater than Rabbi is Rabban; and greater than Rabban is his name.” (Merkhevet HaMishnah on Avot, ch. 1) “Although greater than Rabban is his name, he was humble and lowly of spirit, and no one ever preceded him in greeting, whether at home or in the marketplace.” (Mordechai ben Yechezkel, Sefer HaMa’asiyot, Part IV, Tikkun Chatzot, p. 174))