Halacha

American  

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

noun

(often lowercase)

Halachas, plural Halachoth, plural Halachot, plural Halachos plural

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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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• Halachas
  plural
• Halachos
  plural
• Halachot
  plural
• Halachoth
  plural

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

These two species of Jewish literature, the Agada and the Midrashim, have a far greater absolute value than the Halacha.

From Jewish History : an essay in the philosophy of history by Dubnow, S. M. (Simon Markovich)

The schools of Shammai and Hillel were at variance three years, the one party contending and saying, 'The Halacha is according to us;' and the other, 'The Halacha is according to us.'

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

Then said Rabbi Eliezer to the sages, "Let Heaven itself testify that the Halacha is according to my judgment."

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

There is a poetic half, let us say a homiletic half, what we call Agada, as distinct from the legal portion called Halacha.

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