Halakha

Translated as “the path,” halakha refers to the inclusive body of Judaic law and has been a fluid, living repository of tradition for more than 2,500 years. Many of the judicial opinions in the halakha have been passed on for hundreds of years. It comprises the 613 mitzvot, Talmudic and rabbinic law, and even customs and traditions in the community. There is no classic difference between religious and secular life in Judaism; this is the reason that halakha provides such extensive guidance for everyday life and why it plays such a crucial role in maintaining Jewish culture despite the Diaspora. Halakha itself differs geographically and historically for different Jewish communities. But, despite these differences, any understanding of Jewish culture is based in part on an understanding of halakha. As the comprehensive guide to Jewish life, its tenets concern an enormous range of issues; halakha represents the extrapolated message of the Hebrew Bible.

Because halakha is constantly developing as it is interpreted and discussed by Jewish authorities, it displays a high level of dynamism. Different Jewish communities throughout the world can have different interpretations of halakhic principles; controversies based on these differences contribute to the intellectual rigor of rabbinic literature. As there is no one formal authority on halakha to which Jews may appeal opinions they find unsatisfactory, it is up to the individual to choose rabbis, synagogues, and other sources of authority. For the most part, acceptance of any one opinion is dependent upon the social stature of its posek (author), along with the kind of reception it receives in the scholarly community.

Specifically, the halakha is made up of the practice springing from the mitzvot and the interpretation of that practice in rabbinical literature. The Talmud indicates that there are 613 of these mitzvot in the Torah; 248 of them are positive (you must do A, B, and C) and 365 are negative (you must not do D or E). Positive mitzvot allow the actor to emulate God and negative mitzvot create distance between God and the actor. Obviously, as the goal of life is to be as close to God as possible, the mitzvot must be carefully observed.