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Religious Studies & Theology vocabulary · Religious Ethics and Law

Halakha

Meaning in religious studies & theology, with examples

nounAdvanced term

In religious studies & theology, halakha means: Jewish religious law, based on the Torah and developed in the Talmud and later legal codes, which guides daily life, worship, food and family matters.

In Turkish: Yahudi hukuku, Halaha

How it is used

Also spelled halacha or halakhah; the adjective is halakhic (a halakhic ruling, halakhic debate). The word comes from a Hebrew root meaning 'to walk', so it is often explained as 'the way'. Dietary rules (kashrut) and Sabbath rules are part of it.

Example sentences

  1. The Shulchan Aruch, compiled in the sixteenth century, became a central code of halakha.

  2. Orthodox communities ask their rabbi about questions of halakha, such as what is allowed on the Sabbath.

Common collocations

  • Jewish law and halakha
  • halakhic ruling
  • observe halakha
  • halakhic debate
  • JudaismThe religion, culture and way of life of the Jewish people, based on the covenant with God described in the Hebrew Bible and developed in the Talmud and later teaching.
  • TalmudThe central text of rabbinic Judaism, which combines the Mishnah, an early code of Jewish oral law, with the Gemara, centuries of rabbinic discussion of it.
  • rabbiA Jewish religious teacher and scholar trained in Jewish law, who often leads a congregation, teaches and answers questions on religious practice.
  • shariaIn Islam, the divine law and guidance for all areas of life, which Muslim jurists interpret through the Qur'an, the sunna and methods of legal reasoning.
  • TorahThe first five books of the Hebrew Bible, traditionally attributed to Moses; in a wider sense, the whole body of Jewish teaching and law.

More terms: Religious Ethics and Law

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