In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “usually a word or title that refers to one who is a great torah scholar”. Today it says “term in judaism meaning a wise or skillful man”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
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The opening as it read in 2005
"wise") is usually a word or title that refers to one who is a great Torah scholar. It carries the connotation of a sage or someone renowned for his wisdom and understanding. In Muslim countries, a rabbi was often called a hakham because al-Rab in Arabic was one of the names of God and may have caused offense due to misunderstanding (and the attendant blasphemy trials and potential pogroms) was feared. Thus the chief rabbi of the Ottoman Empire was called the "Hakham Baši" ( Hakham Bashi ).1
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 17333669.
The opening as it stood in 2010 4 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
The Hakham of Moineşti ( Hahamul din Moineşti ), Ştefan Luchian , 1909.Hakham (or chakam or ḥaham, ḥakam ; Hebrew חכם lit."wise") is a term from 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 wise man ["hakham"], even if he be not a Jew" (Meg.16a).Hence in Talmudic - Midrashic literature wise and learned non-Jews are commonly called "hakme ummot ha-'olam" (the wise men of the nations).
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The opening as it stood in 2015 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Hakham (or chakam(i), haham(i), hacham(i) ; 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 non-Jews are commonly called "hakme ummot ha-'olam" (the wise men of the nations). In Sephardic usage it is a synonym for " rabbi ".
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 634467366.
The opening as it stood in 2020 2 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
A wise man or rabbi in Judaism See also: Talmid Chacham The Hakham of Moinești ( Hahamul din Moineşti ), Ștefan Luchian , 1909. Hakham (or chakam(i), haham(i), hacham(i) ; ḥaḵam , "wise") is a term in Judaism , meaning a wise or skillful man; it often refers to someone who is a great Torah scholar. It can also refer to any cultured and learned person: "He who says a wise thing is called a hakham , even if he be not a Jew." Hence in Talmudic - Midrashic literature, wise gentiles are commonly called hakhmei ummot ha-'olam ("wise men of the nations of the world").In Sephardic usage, Hakham is a synonym for " rabbi ".
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 965233879.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023
Wise man or rabbi in Judaism See also: Talmid Chacham The Hakham of Moinești ( Hahamul din Moineşti ), Ștefan Luchian , 1909 Hakham (or chakam(i), haham(i), hacham(i) ; ḥaḵam , "wise") is a term in Judaism , meaning a wise or skillful man; it often refers to someone who is a great Torah scholar. It can also refer to any cultured and learned person: "He who says a wise thing is called a hakham , even if he be not a Jew." Hence, in Talmudic - Midrashic literature, wise gentiles are commonly called hakhmei ummot ha-'olam ("wise men of the nations of the world"). In Sephardic usage, hakham is a synonym for " rabbi ".
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1159771104.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Wise man or rabbi in Judaism See also: Talmid Chakham The Hakham of Moinești ( Hahamul din Moineşti ), Ștefan Luchian , 1909 Hakham (or Chakam(i), Haham(i), Hacham(i), Hach ; Hebrew : חכם , romanized : ḥāḵām , lit. ' Wise ' ) is a term in Judaism meaning a wise or skillful man; it often refers to someone who is a great Torah scholar. It can also refer to any cultured and learned person: "He who says a wise thing is called a Hakham , even if he be not a Jew." Hence, in Talmudic - Midrashic literature, wise gentiles are commonly called hakhmei ummot ha-'olam ("wise men of the nations of the world"). In Sephardic usage, hakham is a synonym for " rabbi ".
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Today
In 2005 Wikipedia's first sentence called it “usually a word or title that refers to one who is a great torah scholar”. Today it says “term in judaism meaning a wise or skillful man”. Read the current article and compare.
2005
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2005, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
usually a word or title that refers to one who is a great torah scholar
Now
term in judaism meaning a wise or skillful man
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
