Maran () is a
Jewish honorific prefix for exceptionally respected
rabbi
A rabbi (; ) is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi—known as ''semikha''—following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form of t ...
s. It is an alternate form of
Aramaic
Aramaic (; ) is a Northwest Semitic language that originated in the ancient region of Syria and quickly spread to Mesopotamia, the southern Levant, Sinai, southeastern Anatolia, and Eastern Arabia, where it has been continually written a ...
''mar'', meaning "master" (compare ''
rav
''Rav'' (or ''Rab'', Modern Hebrew: ) is the Hebrew generic term for a person who teaches Torah or is a Jewish spiritual guide or a rabbi. For example, Pirkei Avot (in the Talmud) states (1:6) that:
The term ''rav'' is also Hebrew for ''rabbi ...
'',
''rabban'').
Maran is especially preferred among
Sephardic Jews
Sephardic Jews, also known as Sephardi Jews or Sephardim, and rarely as Iberian Peninsular Jews, are a Jewish diaspora population associated with the historic Jewish communities of the Iberian Peninsula (Spain and Portugal) and their descendant ...
, and commonly used in reference to
Joseph Karo
Joseph ben Ephraim Karo, also spelled Yosef Caro, or Qaro (; 1488 – March 24, 1575, 13 Nisan 5335 A.M.), was a prominent Sephardic Jewish rabbi renowned as the author of the last great codification of Jewish law, the ''Beit Yosef'', and its ...
. When used without further qualification, "Maran" typically refers to Karo. Amongst contemporary rabbis,
Ovadia Yosef
Ovadia Yosef (, ; September 24, 1920 – October 7, 2013) also known as Maran (Hebrew language, Hebrew: מרן) "Our Master", was an History of the Jews in Iraq#Otoman rule, Iraqi-born Talmudic scholar, hakham, posek, and the Sephardi Jews, Sephar ...
is most closely associated with Maran.
Within their respective communities, rabbis like
Yosef Shalom Elyashiv
Yosef Shalom Elyashiv (; 10 April 1910 – 18 July 2012) was a Haredi rabbi and ''posek'' (arbiter of Jewish law) who lived in Jerusalem. Until his death at the age of 102, Rav Elyashiv was the paramount leader of both Israel and the Diaspora ...
,
Elazar Shach
Elazar Menachem Man Shach (, Elazar Shach; January 1, 1899 O.S. – November 2, 2001) was a Haredi rabbi who headed Lithuanian Orthodox Jews in Israel and around the world from the early 1970s until his death. He served as chair of the Counc ...
and
Joel Teitelbaum
Joel Teitelbaum (, ; 13 January 1887 – 19 August 1979) was the founder and first Grand Rebbe of the Satmar dynasty. The Satmar Rebbe is also known as the Krula Rav.
A major figure in the post-war renaissance of Hasidism, he espoused a stric ...
may be called "Maran" in combination with other titles.
See also
*
Honorifics in Judaism
There are a number of honorifics in Judaism that vary depending on the status of, and the relationship to, the person to whom one is referring.
Hasid
Ḥasīd is a Jewish honorific, frequently used as a term of exceptional respect in the Talmud ...
*
Mar
Mar, mar or MAR may refer to:
Culture
* Mar (title), or Mor, an honorific in Syriac
* Earl of Mar, an earldom in Scotland
* Mar., an abbreviation for March, the third month of the year in the Gregorian calendar
* Biblical abbreviation for the ...
*
Maranatha
''Maranatha'' (Aramaic: ') is an Aramaic phrase which occurs once in the New Testament (). It also appears in Didache 10:14. It is transliterated into Greek letters rather than translated and, given the nature of early manuscripts, the lexical ...
References
Orthodox rabbinic roles and titles
Aramaic words and phrases
Religious honorifics
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