[Seph. meen-hahg; Ashk. min-hahg] 
[Seph. meen-hah-geem; Ashk. min-hah-gim] . Hebrew. | a custom or procedure among Jews that is so firmly established as to have almost the binding force of law. |
| Main Entry: | minhag |
| Part of Speech: | n |
| Definition: | an accepted or binding tradition or set of traditions in a Jewish community; also, the form of liturgy used by a particular Jewish community |
| Example: | Minhag is an important ingredient of halakhah. |
| Etymology: | 1843; Heb. 'custom' |
| Usage: | pl. minhag or minhagim |
minhag
in Judaism, any religious custom that has acquired the legal binding force of Halakhah, the Jewish legal tradition. Because Halakhah itself can be considered to be based on custom, a minhag can come into force even though it presents an apparent contradiction to previous laws. The problem of minhagim has been a major subject for Judaic scholars.
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