Rabbenu

Rabbenu is a Hebrew honorific meaning “Our teacher” or “Our master.” In Jewish scholarship, it is used as a prefix before the name of a respected rabbi, signaling esteem within Ashkenazi communities and in historical writings. The form appears in various transliterations (for example, Rabbeinu or Rabbenu) but carries the same function of reverence and authority.

The best-known bearer of the title is Rabbenu Gershom ben Judah of Mainz (c. 960–1040). A leading rabbinic authority in the Rhineland, he guided Jewish communities across medieval Germany and is traditionally credited with a set of prohibitions and regulations known as the Gershom ben Judah bans. These are most often associated with polygamy among Ashkenazi Jews and with rules concerning divorce and remarriage. His decisions helped shape communal life, halakhic practice, and the authority of rabbinic leadership in early Ashkenazic Jewry.

Another prominent figure is Rabbenu Tam, the nephew of Gershom, also known as Jacob ben Meir (c. 1100–1171). A leading Tosafist, his commentaries and critical analyses on the Talmud influenced medieval Jewish scholarship in France and Germany, shaping methods of dispute, interpretation, and legal reasoning that endured in later generations.

Today the title Rabbenu remains a conventional designation in reference to several notable medieval rabbis. The exact transliteration varies (Rabbenu, Rabbeinu), but the usage denotes respect and recognition of scholarly authority and learning within Jewish tradition.