Julius Chazal (Chachameinu Zichronam Liv'racha)
Chazal (Chachameinu Zichronam Liv'racha) By Julius In traditional discussion of Jewish Law, you will often see people speak of what Chazal says about a matter. Chazal is not a single person; the term refers collectively to the consensus of authoritative opinion, in much the same way that we might speak of what Congress says or what the Supreme Court says. Chazal is an acronym of the Hebrew phrase Chachameinu Zichronam Liv'racha, which means "our sages of blessed memory" or "our sages, may their memory be a blessing." In its strictest sense, Chazal refers to the final opinion expressed in the Talmud, but the term is sometimes used more loosely to refer to the generally accepted opinion of any of the wise people who have contributed to Jewish law. Throughout this site, I usually use the phrase "the rabbis" where others might use the term Chazal. Hillel and Shammai These two great scholars born a generation or two before the beginning of the Common...
