There’s probably not another profession, outside of royalty, where the spouse gains a title upon marriage. Even if the traditional role of the rabbi’s spouse, or rebbetzin, has changed considerably in this generation, there’s still recognition of the supporting role a spouse might play, publicly and privately. (And there’s no name yet for the husband of a female rabbi, but plenty of playful attempts like rebbitz-sir).
Rabbis without spouses are in the minority. But with more women entering the rabbinate, trends in the general population of people marrying later, the increasing challenges of finding a spouse, and increasing rates of divorce, there’s a significant number of rabbis, in all denominations, who are not married.
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