Editing Halakha (section)

{{short description|Jewish rabbinical law}}
{{Italic title}}
{{Distinguish|Law given to Moses at Sinai{{!}}Halakha LeMoshe MiSinai}}
{{Judaism|law}}
'''''Halakha''''' ({{IPAc-en|h|ɑː|ˈ|l|ɔː|x|ə}} {{respell|hah|LAW|khə}};<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.dictionary.com/browse/halacha |work=Dictionary.com |title=Halacha |access-date=10 October 2018}}</ref> {{langx|he|הֲלָכָה|translit=hălāḵā}}, {{small|[[Sephardi Hebrew|Sephardic]]:}} {{IPA|he|halaˈχa|}}), also [[Romanization of Hebrew|transliterated]] as '''''halacha''''', '''''halakhah''''', and '''''halocho''''' ({{small|[[Ashkenazi Hebrew|Ashkenazic]]:}} {{IPA|he|haˈlɔχɔ|}}), is the collective body of [[Judaism|Jewish]] [[religious law]]s that are derived from the [[Torah|Written]] and [[Oral Torah]]. ''Halakha'' is based on biblical commandments (''[[Mitzvah|mitzvot]]''), subsequent [[Talmud]]ic and [[Mitzvah#Rabbinic mitzvot|rabbinic law]]s, and the customs and traditions which were compiled in the many books such as the ''[[Shulchan Aruch]]'' or ''[[Mishneh Torah]]''. ''Halakha'' is often translated as "Jewish law", although a more literal translation might be "the way to behave" or "the way of walking". The word is derived from the [[Semitic root|root]], which means "to behave" (also "to go" or "to walk"). ''Halakha'' not only guides religious practices and beliefs; it also guides numerous aspects of day-to-day life.<ref>[https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/halakhah-the-laws-of-jewish-life/ "Halacha: The Laws of Jewish Life."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190718124453/https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/halakhah-the-laws-of-jewish-life/ |date=2019-07-18 }} ''My Jewish Learning''. 8 April 2019.</ref>

Historically, widespread observance of the laws of the Torah is first in evidence beginning in the second century BCE, and some say that the first evidence was even earlier. {{sfn|Adler|2022|}} In the [[Jewish diaspora]], ''halakha'' served many Jewish communities as an enforceable avenue of law – both [[Civil law (legal system)|civil]] and [[Religious law|religious]], since no differentiation of them exists in classical Judaism. Since the Jewish Enlightenment (''[[Haskalah]]'') and [[Jewish emancipation]], some have come to view the ''halakha'' as less binding in day-to-day life, because it relies on rabbinic interpretation, as opposed to the authoritative, canonical text which is recorded in the [[Hebrew Bible]]. Under contemporary [[Israeli law]], certain areas of Israeli family and personal status law are, for Jews, under the authority of the rabbinic courts, so they are treated according to ''halakha''. Some minor differences in ''halakha'' are found among [[Ashkenazi Jews]], [[Mizrahi Jews]], [[Sephardi Jews]], [[Yemenite Jews|Yemenite]], [[Beta Israel|Ethiopian]] and other Jewish communities which historically lived in isolation.<ref>[https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/jewish-customs/ "Jewish Custom (Minhag) Versus Law (Halacha)."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191225213441/https://www.myjewishlearning.com/article/jewish-customs/ |date=2019-12-25 }} ''My Jewish Learning''. 8 April 2019.</ref>