posek

P3O1S1E1K5

noun

decisor; legal scholar who decides the Halacha in cases where previous authorities are inconclusive or no halakhic precedent exists.

Scrabble 11

Meanings

nounposek (plural poseks or poskim)

plural poseks · plural poskim

  1. Judaismdecisor; legal scholar who decides the Halacha in cases where previous authorities are inconclusive or no halakhic precedent exists.

    Standard disclaimer.... I am not a posek. Always consult a real posek if you want a real p'sak. Poskim don't waste their time answering Usenet postings. :-)

    1996 April 28, Jonathan Kamens, “Question on love affairs and illegitimate children”, in soc.culture.jewish (Usenet)
    1 more example

    In other words, like many of the poskim in this camp, Rabbi Avraham Danzig is opposed to cantors who are only interested in the melodies and ignore the content of the prayers.

    2024, David Golinkin, “Should the cantor pray slowly or shorten the service?”, in Responsa in a Moment, volume 4, page 12

Origin

  1. Hebrewפּוֹסֵק“arbiter”
  2. Englishposek

Borrowed from Hebrew פּוֹסֵק (posék, “arbiter”).

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Polish posek
  • posekdecisor

Rhymes & wordplay

Anagrams

Cite this entry
APA

posek. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/posek

MLA

“posek.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/posek. Accessed November 2, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “posek,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/posek.

Source: posek on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.