takkanah means A law created by the rabbis not derived from Biblical commandments. Lexicurio rates it Sui generis — a strength score of 87 out of 100.
takkanah is pronounced /tɑkəˈnɑː/.
Why “takkanah” is a great word
TAKKANAH — [Noun] A rabbinic ordinance instituted to address a contemporary need, not derived directly from biblical commandments. Borrowed from Hebrew תַּקָּנָה (taqqānāh), meaning 'arrangement, ordinance, ruling'. Unlike a *gezeirah* (a decree that builds a preventative fence *around* the law) or a *mitzvah* (a commandment drawn directly *from* it), a takkanah is a constructive innovation built *alongside* it. It is the establishment of Purim to commemorate deliverance, the standardization of a liturgy for unity, and the creation of community funds for the poor—deliberate acts of repair that bend the timeless law to meet the weeping needs of the hour. It is the quiet, human hammer of tradition shaping itself to hold a changing world together.
Etymology
Borrowed from Hebrew תַּקָּנָה.
noun
- A law created by the rabbis not derived from Biblical commandments.“According to a takkanah (enactment) of the chief rabbinate of Palestine in 1943, in Israel daughters inherit on an equal footing with sons.”