Halachah
/həˈlɑːxə/noun
The collective body of Jewish religious laws and legal traditions derived from the Torah, Talmud, and later rabbinic interpretation.
Did you know?Halachah comes from the Hebrew verb meaning “to walk,” turning religious observance into a lived path followed through daily actions.
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
הָלַךְ (hālak)
“To go, walk, or proceed”
Second Temple Period
Hebrew
הֲלָכָה (halakhah)
“A way of proceeding or established practice”
Late Antiquity
Mishnaic Hebrew
הֲלָכָה (halakhah)
“A legal ruling or norm governing Jewish practice”
Late Antiquity
Jewish Aramaic
הֲלָכְתָא (halakhta)
“Religious law or legal tradition”
Medieval Hebrew
Hebrew
הֲלָכָה (halakhah)
“The developing system of Jewish law based on scripture and rabbinic interpretation”
19th Century
English
halachah / halakha
“An English loanword for the body of traditional Jewish law”