Halakha

🏷  Semitic pun spook law · name   —   by Gerry · Sep 2021 · 136 words

The insanely huge corpus of strange religious laws is called Halakha in Judaism. The word root √hlk means “walking”, which is an oddly unspecific word. Presumably, the spooks chose it for some pun: hlk “walking” puns with ḥlq “smoothness”, especially in the sense of “smooth-talking” or a “smooth appearance”. Spookery takes this to the extreme: The spook aristocrats lie about everything, so that they can be ultra-corrupt and still maintain a smooth image.

Hebrew ḥlq = smooth, smoothen, slippery, flattery, improve appearance

חלק ḥlq : to be smooth, be slippery; made smooth; deal smoothly; glide; slip — Hebrew (Klein)

חלק ḥlq : smoothness — Hebrew (Klein)

חלוק ḥlwq : something smooth — Hebrew (Klein)

חלק ḥlq : to be smooth, to be viscous; to smoothen, make even, level; to improve the appearance; to be smoothed — Hebrew (Jastrow)

חלקות ḥlqwt : smoothness, flattery — Hebrew (Klein)

🏷  Semitic pun spook law · name