halitzah

English

Alternative forms

• chalitza
• chalitzah
• chalizah
• halizah
• khalitzah

Etymology

From Hebrew חֲלִיצָה.

Noun

halitzah (plural halitzot)

1. (Judaism) A rite by which a widow absolves herself of the duty of levirate marriage.
   • 1995 January 15, AB...@aol.com, “Levirate Marriage”, in soc.genealogy.jewish‎^[1] (Usenet):

     Halitzah carries with it the implication of shame on the male who by refusing to marry his sister-in-law is guilty of not fulfilling his obligation to his dead brother and his dead brother's estate.

   • 2001, David L. Lieber, Jules Harlow, Etz Hayim: Torah and Commentary, page 1134:

     To discourage sexual attraction between brothers and sisters-in-law, later Jewish law expressed a clear preference for ḥalitzah (the ritual of the sandal) rather than levirate marriage.