Differences between Rabbi and Hakham

[dauer]

Are there any differences besides the title? I know the Karaim also call their leaders hakhamim, but I am also aware that their leaders have a very different role from that of a rabbi.

Dauer

[bananabrain]

hakham is the traditional title for a particularly important (ie head of community) sephardi rabbi, like the ben ish hai (baghdad C19th) or the hakham of great neck, NJ, who is the chief rabbi of the trad iraqi community in that part of the world. it just means "learned one" as opposed to "teacher", which is what "rabbi" means.

b'shalom

bananabrain

[dauer]

So a sephardi rabbi would still be called a rabbi?

[Salonius]

A Sephardic Rabbi is also called a Hakham; the titles are synonymous as per the Jewish group, Sephardic and Ashkenazi respectively. In short, I call my Rabbi, Hakham.

-Salonius