Halacha

American  

[hah-law-khuh, hah-lah-khah, hah-law-khaw] / hɑˈlɔ xə, hɑ lɑˈxɑ, ˌhɑ lɔˈxɔ /

noun

(often lowercase)

plural

Halachas,

plural

Halachoth, Halachot, Halachos

1. Halakhah.

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Halacha British  

/ hɑlɑˈxɑː, hɑˈloxə /

noun

1. 1. Jewish religious law

   2. a ruling on some specific matter

2. 1. that part of the Talmud which is concerned with legal matters as distinct from homiletics

   2. Jewish legal literature in general

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Etymology

Origin of Halacha

from Hebrew hǎlākhāh way

Example Sentences

In 1960 the Interior Ministry, dominated by Orthodox Jews, ru'ed that the Halacha would determine whether an immigrant could enter Israel under the 1950 Law of Return, which makes any Jew automatically eligible for citizenship.

From Time Magazine Archive

The two Midrashic systems emphasize respectively the rule of law and the sway of liberty: Halacha is law incarnate; Haggada, liberty regulated by law and bearing the impress of morality.

From Jewish Literature and Other Essays by Karpeles, Gustav

Halacha stands for the rigid authority of the Law, for the absolute importance of theory—the law and theory which the Haggada illustrates by public opinion and the dicta of common-sense morality.

From Jewish Literature and Other Essays by Karpeles, Gustav

It must, of course, be borne in mind that Halacha and Haggada are not separate works; they are two fibres of the same thread.

From Jewish Literature and Other Essays by Karpeles, Gustav

And a Bath Kol or voice from heaven was heard, saying, "What have ye to do with Rabbi Eliezer? for the Halacha is on every point according to his decision!"

From Hebraic Literature; Translations from the Talmud, Midrashim and Kabbala by Various