Jastrow: חָכָם

חָכָם m. (b. h.; v. Fl. to Levy Talm. Dict. II, 2042) [retentive,] 1) one who knows. חֲכַם הרזים He who knows the secrets (minds of men). Ber. 58ᵃ; Tosef. ib. VII (VI), 2; Num. R. s. 21, beg. —2) wise man, scholar; esp. Ḥakham, a scholar’s title, less than Rabbi. Ab. IV, 1 איזהו ח׳ who is a wise man? Snh. 21ᵃ (ref. to II Sam. XIII, 3) איש ח׳ לרשעה a man wise for wickedness (artful). Gitt. 67ᵃ ח׳ וסופר is a scholar and a scribe; ח׳ לכשירצה might be a scholar, if he wanted. Hor. 13ᵇ ר"מ ח׳ R. M. was the Ḥakham (counselor); a. v. fr.—Pl. חֲכָמִים, frequ. in the sense of a number of scholars, as opposed to a single authority. Ḥull. 85ᵃ ראה רבי … ושנאו בלשון ח׳ Rabbi approving of R. Meir’s opinion …, recorded it in the Mishnah as the opinion of ‘scholars’. Ber. I, 1; a. v. fr.—חַכְמֵי אומות העולם gentile scholars (philosophers), חכמי ישראל Jewish scholars. R. Hash. 12ᵃ. Pes. 94ᵇ; a. fr.—תַּלְמִיד חָכָם (= תלמיד וח׳, cmp. חָבֵר, abbr. ת"ח) title of a student, disciple, scholar. Ḥag. 15ᵇ ת"ח אע"פ שסרח וכ׳ a scholar’s learning is not to be despised, even if he has gone astray. Ḥull. 9ᵃ ת"ח צריך וכ׳ in order to be recognised as a Talmid Ḥakham, one must have learned three things &c.; a. v. fr.—Pl. תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים. Ber. 64ᵃ ת"ה מרבים וכ׳ scholars increase the peace of the world; a. v. fr.