Halakhas

Part of speech: noun

Definitions

1. A compilation of Jewish laws derived from the Torah or traditions that guide various aspects of daily life
2. A set of legal rulings in Judaism that dictate religious practices, ethics, and social conduct
3. The body of rules in Jewish tradition that encompasses spiritual, ceremonial, and interpersonal commandments

Etymology: "Halakhas" is the plural of "halakha", a term for Jewish religious law. The singular "halakha" comes from Hebrew, where it is a noun built on the root h-l-k, meaning "to walk" or "to go." Its literal sense is something like "the way one walks," and it came to denote the path of correct conduct laid out by the rabbinic tradition, the way a observant Jew is expected to live. The plural form "halakhas" is used when speaking of multiple bodies of such law, or of individual rulings and legal decisions within the tradition, rather than the system as a whole. English writers commonly use the Hebrew singular for the system itself and add an English "s" to count its separate rulings or traditions.