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

What Jewish law, known as “halakhah,” says is more complicated, failing to conform to either the perspectives of those who fight to end abortion access or those who promote it.

From Washington Post

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

From Washington Post

Some faith leaders believe it still counts as killing, given that it ends a form of life, Fischer said, but halakhah insists there can be extenuating circumstances in which killing is permissible.

From Washington Post

Both sharia and halakhah include laws for communal as well as personal life.

From Washington Post

This kind of wide-ranging religious legal code may be unfamiliar to many Christians, but it’s not unique to Islam. There are strong similarities between sharia and Jewish law, or halakhah, which itself descends from legalistic sections of the Bible that both Jews and Christians consider scripture.

From Washington Post