Halakha
/hɑːˈlɑːχə/noun
The collective body of Jewish religious laws and practices derived from the Torah, rabbinic interpretation, and tradition.
Did you know?Halakha comes from the Hebrew root ה־ל־ך, meaning “to go” or “to walk,” the same metaphor of a life-path found throughout Jewish scripture.
Etymological Timeline
Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
הָלַךְ (hālak)
“To go, walk, travel, or conduct oneself”
Late Biblical Hebrew
Hebrew
הֲלָכָה (halākāh)
“A way of conduct or established practice”
Talmudic Period
Mishnaic Hebrew
הֲלָכָה (halakha)
“A legal ruling or normative religious practice”
Medieval Jewish Aramaic and Hebrew
Hebrew
halakha
“The authoritative system of Jewish religious law and observance”
19th Century
English
halakha
“An English scholarly loanword for Jewish religious law”
Modern English
English
halakha
“The Jewish legal and ethical tradition governing religious practice”