halacha

noun, often capitalized

ha·la·cha | \ hä-ˈlä-ḵə

How to pronounce halacha (audio)

, ˌhä-lə-ˈḵä

How to pronounce halacha (audio)

\

variants: or less commonly halakha

Definition of halacha

: the body of Jewish law supplementing the scriptural law and forming especially the legal part of the Talmud

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Examples of halacha in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Suicide is such a grave violation of halacha, Jewish religious law, that those who kill themselves are often denied burial in Jewish cemeteries. — Cnaan Liphshiz, sun-sentinel.com, "How a religious Jewish farmer became a promoter of assisted suicide in Israel," 26 June 2019 Some of the students are graduates of a three-year program at Nishmat that certifies women as yoetzot halacha, or halachic advisors. — Beth Kissileff, sun-sentinel.com, "Terrorism victim’s mother looks back on a journey from grief to joy," 3 July 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'halacha.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Last Updated

22 Jul 2019

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Time Traveler for halacha

The first known use of halacha was in 1856

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