Halakhah

American  

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

Or Halakah,

noun

plural

Halakhahs,

plural

Halakhoth, Halakhot, Halakhos

1. (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.

2. a law or tradition established by the Halakhah.

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Other Word Forms

• Halakhic adjective

Etymology

Origin of Halakhah

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

Example Sentences

Halakhah mandates that abortion is necessary if the woman’s life is in danger.

From Washington Post • Aug. 6, 2019

He is also admired as an astute scholar and consummate finder of Halakhah loopholes that more easily accommodate Orthodox observance to a technological world.

From Time Magazine Archive

Even more important and enduring was the middle- of-the-road view that Rosenzweig took of the Halakhah, the elaborate body of law set down in Jewish tradition.

From Time Magazine Archive

Though they pledge no formal adherence to strict Halakhah, the students can, like Joan Koehler, be edifyingly tough on themselves.

From Time Magazine Archive

The application of this oral law is called Halakhah, the rules by which a man’s daily “walk” is regulated.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 13, Slice 2 "Hearing" to "Helmond" by Various