Hakham

Hakham (or Chakam(i), Haham(i), Hacham(i), Hach; Hebrew: חכם, romanized: ḥāḵām, lit.

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.

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.

The surname Hacham is found among both Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews, including variations such as Hach, Hachami, Hachamovich, Hachamson.

In the Muslim world, a rabbi was often called a ḥākhām because al-Rab is one of the names of God in Islam and may have caused offense due to misunderstanding.

[citation needed] Since Karaite theology is based on the use of reason by individuals to determine the applications of the Hebrew Bible's laws for themselves, the role of a hakham is more "advisory" than that of a rabbi in mainstream Rabbinic Judaism.