Halakha: Difference between revisions

'''''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>

According to the Talmud (''Tractate Makot''), 613 ''mitzvot'' are in the Torah, 248 positive ("thou shalt") ''mitzvot'' and 365 negative ("thou shalt not") ''mitzvot'', supplemented by seven ''mitzvot'' [[Mitzvah#Rabbinic mitzvot|legislated by the rabbis]] of antiquity.<ref>Hecht, Mendy. [https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/756399/jewish/The-613-Commandments-Mitzvot.htm "The 613 Commandments (Mitzvot)."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190420205313/https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/756399/jewish/The-613-Commandments-Mitzvot.htm |date=2019-04-20 }} ''Chabad.org''. 9 April 2019.</ref> Currently, many of the 613 commandments cannot be performed until the building of the [[The Third Temple|Temple in Jerusalem]] and the universal resettlement of the Jewish people in [[Land of Israel|the Land of Israel]] by the [[Messiah in Judaism|Messiah.]] According to one count, only 369 can be kept, meaning that 40% of mitzvot are not possible to perform. Of these 369, 77 of these are positive mtizvot and 194 are negative. <ref>{{cite web |last1=Danzinger |first1=Eliezer |title=How Many of the Torah's Commandments Still Apply? |url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/541686/jewish/How-Many-of-the-Torahs-Commandments-Still-Apply.htm |website=chabad |access-date=3 March 2021}}</ref>

A different approach divides the laws into a different set of categories:{{citation needed|date=March 2016}}

[[Orthodox Judaism]] holds that ''halakha'' is [[divine law]] laid down in the Torah, rabbinical laws, rabbinical decrees, and customs combined. The rabbis, who made many additions and interpretations of Jewish law, did so only in accordance with regulations they believed, as Orthodox Jews still [[Orthodox Judaism#Beliefs|believe]], were given for this purpose to [[Moses]] on [[Mount Sinai (Bible)|Mount Sinai]].<ref>{{bibleverse|Deuteronomy|17:11}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Vail course explores origins of Judaism |url=https://www.vaildaily.com/news/announcements/vail-course-explores-origins-of-judaism/ |agency=Vail Daily |date=13 July 2015 |quote=“Just as science follows the scientific method, Judaism has its own system to ensure authenticity remains intact,” said Rabbi Zalman Abraham of JLI’s New York headquarters. |access-date=10 October 2018}}</ref>

Humanistic Jews value the Torah as a historical, political, and sociological text written by their ancestors. They do not believe "that every word of the Torah is true, or even morally correct, just because the Torah is old". The Torah is both disagreed with and questioned. Humanistic Jews believe that the entire Jewish experience, and not only the Torah, should be studied as a source for Jewish behavior and ethical values.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://oradam.org/OAC/FAQ/ |title=FAQ for Humanistic Judaism, Reform Judaism, Humanists, Humanistic Jews, Congregation, Arizona, AZ |publisher=Oradam.org |access-date=10 October 2018}}</ref>

[[File:Arba'ah Turim.jpg|thumb|200px|An illuminated manuscript of ''[[Arba'ah Turim]]'' from 1435]]