Chokhmah

The Hebrew noun chokhmah (חכמה khok·mä), also sometimes transliterated hokhmah, is the Hebrew word for "wisdom". The word occurs 149 times in the Masoretic text of the Hebrew Bible. The Talmud (Shabbat 31a) describes knowledge of the Talmudic order of Kodshim as a high level of wisdom, chokhmah.

It is cognate with the Arabic word for wisdom hikmah.

"Wise"

Chief Rabbi Jacob Saul Dwek, Hakham Bashi of Aleppo, Syria, 1908

The related adjective for "wise" or noun "wise man" is hakham, the feminine adjective is hakhama). For example, a rabbi or person who is very learned in Torah and Talmud is called a Talmid Chacham, denoting a very "learned person" or, literally, a "wise student [of Torah knowledge]."

Certain Sefardic Jews refer to their rabbis as a "wise man" (hakham) and the Chief rabbi of the Ottoman Empire was called a hakham Bashi.

The name chabad (חבד), of the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidim, is an acronym, and the first letter (ח – "Ch") is taken from chokhmah: ח (Ch'okhmah) for "wisdom" – ב (Binah) for "understanding" – ד (Da'at) for "knowledge."[1]

Wisdom in Kabbalah

In the Kabbalah, Wisdom, chokhmah is the name of one of the sefirot.

See also

References

  1. "About Chabad-Lubavitch - About Chabad-Lubavitch". Chabad.org. Retrieved 2013-05-03.


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