Mashpia () or feminine Mashpi'oh lit. "person of influence", pl. Mashpi'im () is the title of a rabbi who serves as a spiritual mentor in a Hasidic Jewish yeshiva.https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/1280337/jewish/The-Rabbi-and-the-Thief.htm: "He was later... head mashpia (spiritual mentor) in the Lubavitcher yeshivah of Kfar Chabad"
This title is also used in Breslov Hasidic movements, who have no rebbe. Previously, those holding this position were referred to as "community rabbis".
The related Hebrew word "mashpian" refers to an "influencer" such as a celebrity or social media promoter.Pink, E., High Influence in JLife Leeds magazine, June/July 2024, p. 83, accessed on 5 July 2024
Mashpi'im in Chabad Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the first rebbe of Chabad-Lubavitch, discussed the role of mashpi'im in the preface to the Tanya, his book on Hasidic philosophy.
References