halitzah
English
Etymology
From Hebrew חֲלִיצָה.
Noun
halitzah (plural halitzahs)
- (Judaism) A rite by which a widow absolves herself of the duty of levirate marriage.
- 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.