Chumra (Judaism)
prohibition or obligation in Jewish practice that exceeds the bare requirements of Halakha
A chumra (pronounced [χuˈmʁa]; Hebrew: חוּמרָה; pl. חוּמרוֹת, ḥumrôt) is a prohibition or obligation in the practice of Judaism that exceeds the bare minimum required by Halakha (Jewish law). One who imposes a chumra on oneself is said to be maḥmir (מַחמִיר, 'stringent') vis-à-vis the given practice.
A chumra can be adopted by an individual or an entire Jewish community. Early allusions to chumrot are found in the Talmud, but the meaning and application thereof have evolved since the Talmudic era. After a chumra has been observed for generations, it may take on the status of a minhag (מִנְהָג, 'custom'), thus becoming a halakhically binding requirement for religious Jews from families or communities that initially adopted the chumra.
Types
Safeguards
One form of chumra is a precaution to help avoid transgressing Halakha, or else a way of keeping those who have taken on the stringency separate from those who have not. This follows the recommendation made by the Great Assembly, recorded in Pirkei Avot 1:1 of the Mishnah, for Torah scholars to "make a fence around the Torah", which the Rabbis considered implied by Leviticus 18:30. Nevertheless, Nachmanides urged his audience to understand that such "safeguards" were of Rabbinic origin, not Tanakhic origin.
Stringencies
A second meaning of chumra is simply a stricter interpretation of a halakhic ruling when two or more interpretations exist. Those who adopt greater stringency than the normative Halakha do not feel they are adding to the Halakha.
“Chumra (Judaism)” enters the record as prohibition or obligation in Jewish practice that exceeds the bare requirements of Halakha. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Chumra, Judaism and prohibition can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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