Halacha

[hah-law-khuh; Sephardic Hebrew hah-lah-khah; Ashkenazic Hebrew hah-law-khaw]

noun, plural Ha·la·chas, Hebrew Ha·la·choth, Ha·la·chot, Ha·la·chos [Sephardic Hebrew hah-lah-khawt; Ashkenazic Hebrew hah-law-khohs] /Sephardic Hebrew hɑ lɑˈxɔt; Ashkenazic Hebrew ˌhɑ lɔˈxoʊs/. (often lowercase)

Halakhah

or Ha·la·kah, Ha·la·chah, Ha·la·cha

[hah-law-khuh; Sephardic Hebrew hah-lah-khah; Ashkenazic Hebrew hah-law-khaw]

noun, plural Ha·la·khahs, Hebrew Ha·la·khoth, Ha·la·khot, Ha·la·khos [Sephardic Hebrew hah-lah-khawt; Ashkenazic Hebrew hah-law-khohs] /Sephardic Hebrew hɑ lɑˈxɔt; Ashkenazic Hebrew ˌhɑ lɔˈxoʊs/ for 2.

(often lowercase) the entire body of Jewish law and tradition comprising the laws of the Bible, the oral law as transcribed in the legal portion of the Talmud, and subsequent legal codes amending or modifying traditional precepts to conform to contemporary conditions.

a law or tradition established by the Halakhah.

Origin of Halakhah

First recorded in 1855–60, Halakhah is from the Hebrew word hălākhāh, literally, way

Related formsHa·la·khic

[huh-lah-khik, -lak-ik] /həˈlɑ xɪk, -ˈlæk ɪk/, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for halacha

Historical Examples of halacha

They were put into the form of short sentences, called "Halacha."
History of the Jews, Vol. II (of 6)
Heinrich Graetz
What was the merit of the school of Hillel that the Halacha should be pronounced to be according to it?
Hebraic Literature; Translations from the Talmud, Midrashim and Kabbala
Various
He admitted philosophy into his religious Code, and conceded it a place of equal importance with the Halacha.
History of the Jews, Vol. III (of 6)
Heinrich Graetz
Your business is the Halacha, to determine what actions are forbidden or permitted by religion.
History of the Jews, Vol. III (of 6)
Heinrich Graetz
Abbahu, the only one who was a native of Juda, was a person of much originality, but of no authority in the Halacha.
History of the Jews, Vol. II (of 6)
Heinrich Graetz

British Dictionary definitions for halacha

Halacha

Halaka or Halakha

noun

Jewish religious law
a ruling on some specific matter

that part of the Talmud which is concerned with legal matters as distinct from homiletics
Jewish legal literature in general

Compare Aggadah (def. 1)

Word Origin for Halacha

from Hebrew hǎlākhāh way

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012