posek

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Pronunciations

posek (PO-sehk) listen

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Definitions

  • n. A rabbi/scholar who makes halachic decisions/rulings.

Example Sentences

  • "That rabbi is a great posek."

  • "I'd love to do it, but my posek doesn't allow it."

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Languages of Origin

  • Textual Hebrew

Etymology

  • פוסק

      • Who Uses This

      • Orthodox: Jews who identify as Orthodox and observe halacha (Jewish law)

      Regions

      • North America
      • Great Britain
      • South Africa
      • Australia / New Zealand

      Dictionaries

      • Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).

      Alternative Spellings

      poisek

Notes

  • "A posek is one who paskens (from Yiddish paskn) or gives a pesak (from Hebrew pesak and Yiddish psak, 'decision, judgment, verdict') on a halachic question. The plural poskim or posekim is used primarily to designate the post-Gaonic scholars who collected, arranged, and systematically codified the halachahs ... distinguished from the meforshim..." (Steinmetz)

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