Halakhah

Halakhah Manachem Elon defines halakhah as “a national religious legal system of the Jewish people.” Deriving from the root hey•lamed•chaf meaning to go, Halakhah literally means the way to go. It is system of Jewish Law drawing on the following three areas: Mitzvot D'Oraita: Commandments from the Torah-referring to the 613 commandments proscribed in Torah, Mitzvot D'Rabbanan: Laws Instituted by the Rabbis which are further divided into gezeirah (fences that act as a safeguard against breaking laws from torah, takkanah-for public welfare, (example: ban on polygamy) and minhag or custom-practices that become incorporated. Halakhah can be compared to a civil justice system, which serves to further define and expand upon the laws as outlined in scripture. It is a system that takes into account the way the people practice the law in a practical way, not just the literal word. Since the haskalah (enlightenment) many Jews view halakhah as voluntary.