Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

HALAKHAH

(Heb. hălāḵâ)

The teaching one is to follow, usually understood to be from the Hebrew root hlk, “to walk” or “go forth.” Generally, Halakhah is defined in contrast to Haggadah, both of which represent the two major divisions of Midrash. While there is considerable overlap between the two, Halakhah tends to concentrate on legal matters of ritual, ethical, and civil nature and Haggadah on more discursive literary and religious concerns. Halakhah is the means by which often ambiguous legal passages are clarified and interpreted for application in new and changed circumstances. Halakhah is the name given not only to the method of midrashic interpretation applied to legal material, but also the name given to the collections of literature produced thereby. The halakhic midrashim deal with Exodus through Deuteronomy. Moreover, these midrashim are often referred to as Tannaitic, since they were produced, for the most part, during the Tannaitic period that came to a close with the fixing of the Mishnah in the early 3rd century c.e. Among the halakhic midrashim are the Mekilta de Rabbi Ishmael, the Mekilta de Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai (both mekiltas on Exodus), Sifra (on Leviticus), Sifre Numbers, and Sifre Deuteronomy. A good example of halakhic midrash can be found in the Mekilta de Rabbi Ishmael, ch. 13 of tractate Nezikin dealing with Exod. 22:1-3, a passage full of ambiguities; the midrash relies on other passages in Deuteronomy, Numbers, Genesis, and Proverbs to resolve the problematic case.

Unfortunately, the use of Halakhah for specific midrashic texts masks a much broader conception of Halakhah as a way of life. By means of Halakhah the rabbis were able to interpret the significance of the Torah for daily living. Integral to the notion of Halakhah (as a procedure) is the rabbinic concept of both a written and oral Torah. According to m. ʾAbot, Moses received the Torah in two modes; one is represented by the written Torah found in the first five books of the OT and the other by oral traditions handed down through the ages and retaining currency among the rabbis of the Tannaitic period. As a result of this understanding of Torah, Halakhah is more than simply commentary on the Pentateuch. As a mode of interpretation, Halakhah has to do with the full engagement with the word of God, in its various manifestations, in the attempt to sanctify one’s every action. With this in mind, the deeply religious and liturgical nature of Halakhah and halakhic interpretation emerges.

Larry L. Lyke

Prayer Tents Bible References - Prayer Tents

HALAKHAH

Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible (2000)