Halakhah

Halakhah (from Hebrew, “to go”), in Judaism, the body of traditional law that is based on rabbinical interpretation and supplements the scriptural law contained in the Pentateuch, the Law of Moses. Halakhah, which is also spelled Halacha or Halakha, has come to mean the 'path' or 'way' by which to walk. Transmitted by word of mouth by the highest rabbinical authorities, these supplementary laws were first written down in the Talmud, during the first five centuries of the Christian era, and in the Midrash, or scriptural exegesis. The Halakhah is the purely legal content of these works, the illustrations and amplifications of the ethical, political, and religious principles involved in the laws being set down in the Haggada. After the completion of the Talmud, the Halakhah continued to develop as it was applied to new situations by rabbinical authorities. The Haggada also continued to develop, in the form of compilations, commentaries, and mystical and moral literature.