Rabbi Abraham – Ask the Rabbi
Q. So many rabbis are mentioned in the Talmud, but why does there not seem to be a Rabbi Abraham, Rabbi Isaac or Rabbi Jacob?
A. There are a number of rabbis called Isaac and a number called Jacob, but as you say there does not seem to be a Rabbi Abraham.
Perhaps it is because the towering stature of the original Abraham is such that it would be difficult for any rabbi to be worthy of this name.
If I am right in this assumption, it applies only to the Talmud, since later generations had no problem with the possibility of a Rabbi Abraham.
The only Biblical name that Jews avoided throughout history was Esau. No parent wanted to burden a child with a name that had such unsavoury antecedents.
