Hacham

Hakham (or chakam(i), haham(i), hacham(i); Hebrew: חכם‎ ḥaḵam, "wise") is a term in Judaism, meaning a wise or skillful man; it often refers to someone who is a great Torah scholar. The word is generally used to designate a cultured and learned person: "He who says a wise thing is called a hakham, even if he be not a Jew" (Meg.16a). Hence in Talmudic-Midrashic literature wise and learned gentiles are commonly called hakme ummot ha-'olam "wise men of the nations of the world". In Sephardic usage it is a synonym for "rabbi".

"Hakham" as an official title is found as early as the first Sanhedrin, after the reconstruction of that body, when the Hadrianic religious persecutions had ceased; in addition to the nasi Simeon ben Gamliel, two other scholars stood at the head of the Sanhedrin, namely Nathan the Babylonian as Av Beit Din and Rabbi Meir as hakham. Another hakham mentioned by name was Simon, the son of Judah the Prince, who after the death of his father officiated as hakham with his elder brother, the nasi.

Just what were the functions of the hakham is not clear. Rapoport's suggestion that he was the arbiter in matters of ritual prohibition and permission is highly improbable. Zecharias Frankel looks upon the hakham as a presiding officer whose duty it was to examine a case in question from all points of view, and, having summed up the results, to present the matter for discussion. It is more probable, however, that the office of hakham was created in order to secure a majority in cases of difference of opinion between the nasi and the Av Beit Din in the affairs of the Sanhedrin; one of the most eminent scholars was always chosen for the post. A baraita leads to the inference that the hakham was always the director of a school ("bet ha-midrash"), for in addition to the Great Sanhedrin, which later came to take the place of an academy, there were also private academies under the direction of eminent scholars. The origin of the office of hakham is as doubtful as its duration.

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