The Shulchan Aruch (The Code of Jewish Law)

The Shulchan Aruch (Hebrew: שֻׁלְחָן עָרוּך [ʃulˈħan ʕaˈrux], literally: “Set Table”),[1] sometimes dubbed in English as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most widely consulted of the various legal codes in Judaism. It was authored in Safed (today in Israel) by Joseph Karo in 1563 and published in Venice two years later.[2] Together with its commentaries, it is the most widely accepted compilation of halakha or Jewish law ever written. 

The Shulchan Aruch, translating to ‘Set Table,’ intricately lays out Jewish legal precepts as a meticulously arranged meal, providing a comprehensive guide to spiritual and ethical living for the Jewish community, facilitating access to daily religious observance.

Yosef Karo’s Foundational Work

Codification of Jewish Law: In the mid-16th century, Rabbi Yosef Karo, residing in the mystical city of Safed, Israel, undertook a monumental task to codify Jewish law. His magnum opus, the Shulchan Aruch, completed in 1563 and published two years later in Venice, Italy, meticulously organized Jewish legal rulings across various aspects of life. This seminal work aimed to harmonize the practices of Sephardic and Ashkenazic Jews, offering a unified legal framework that profoundly influenced Jewish scholarship and daily practice. By leveraging the then-revolutionary technology of the printing press, Karo’s Shulchan Aruch became an indispensable guide for Jewish communities worldwide, marking a significant milestone in the dissemination of Jewish legal knowledge.

Solomon Ganzfried’s Simplification

Streamlining for Accessibility: In the 19th century, Rabbi Solomon Ganzfried of Hungary recognized the need to make Jewish law more approachable for the masses. His response was the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, a concise version of Karo’s extensive work, focusing on the most relevant laws for daily Jewish living. Authored in an era still benefiting from the printing presses reach, Ganzfried’s abridged version was printed with the aim of providing a practical guide for Jewish individuals and families. By distilling the essence of Jewish law into a more manageable and understandable form, the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch bridged the gap between complex legal texts and the layperson, ensuring the continuity and accessibility of Jewish traditions.

Adapting to the Digital Era

Innovation Through Technology: Building on the foundational works of Karo and Ganzfried, the latest adaptation of Jewish law embraces the digital age, transforming ancient wisdom into a format suitable for today’s digital natives. This modern rendition is meticulously translated into contemporary English, presented in both print (hardcover, paperback) and digital formats (eBook and an interactive website). The website, www.CodeOfJewishLaw.com, employs modern web technologies to offer an enriched user experience, including searchable texts, cross-references, and direct links to specific chapters, making navigation seamless across this voluminous work. This approach not only honors the tradition of making Jewish law accessible through the printing press but also expands its reach through the internet, ensuring that the timeless teachings of the Shulchan Aruch are readily available to anyone, anywhere, at any time. Enhanced with a glossary for Hebrew terms and designed for compatibility with various devices, this adaptation connects the ancient paths of Jewish law with the fast-paced rhythms of modern life, providing a bridge between the past and the present, the sacred and the secular.Top of Form

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From 2002 when my work on The Code of Jewish Law began, to 2015, when it was first punished to this second edition in 2023 very little has changed from the original work in 1563, I hope!  At first, this was an obscure book I found on my office desk, (I don’t know how or why) and it sat there for years before I began this transcription from the 1920s with long  “Old English”  passages it called out to me to find the essence in each instance as an exercise in order to make it easier to read, for myself.  I had no idea that what I was transcribing was the authoritative work that it is.  I’ve come to learn of the book’s significance long after I was done.  I thought I’d share my project to simplify what I now know to be a great and important work.

What I later found was a very old point-by-point instructions pertaining to how one should conduct his or her daily life.  It read like a user’s manual. The book I found had no context or origin. Not until the first printing, in 2015, I learned that it was well translated from and in that tradition, I feel that this work followed.  I was later encouraged to republish and create the functional website.

The Five Books of Moses are the first five books of the twenty-four books of the Tanakh, together with the oral laws and commentary that form the well-spring of Jewish law and custom. There are The Ten Commandments, of course, but there are actually 613 Commandments in the Hebrew Bible; however, they are not directly laid out as do’s and don’ts of day-to-day living. Much of the Jewish liturgy I find to be more original text, commentary, or prayer – Not just a list like this. 

The Shulchan Aruch, is a comprehensive code of Jewish law. While it covers a vast array of topics and provides detailed instructions on a wide range of observances, it contain a fixed number of “rules” in the way one might expect from a list or enumeration. Instead, it’s organized into four main sections, each with multiple chapters and subsections. The four sections are: Orach Chaim, Yoreh De’ah, Even HaEzer, and Choshen Mishpat. Each section deals with different areas of Jewish law and life. To ascertain an exact number of individual rules or directives, one would need to go through each section and its associated sub-chapters.

It was no small task to be trimming down four volumes, 221 chapters, and approximately 2,756 “rules”.   Sure, some of The Code Of Jewish Law seem outdated—modern times have rendered many obsolete—but, most remain as true today as they have ever been. The Code of Jewish Law can be viewed as instructions, as opposed to doctrine. The list of day-to-day tasks and prohibitions seem endless. However, the list that comprises The Code of Jewish Law comes from a recognized and universally accepted source.   

Let’s be perfectly clear . . . That official source is not me! It should be argued that there is always something lost in translation. This is even more the case in this instance. I am absolutely no authority, I was an average student, I can read NO Hebrew, I checked with no one and, I have no way of knowing if I translated the glossary properly.

It is a book of deeds, and I simply took it as a task to make it simple.  Some things simply seem worth doing; not all things need knowing. In this case, that is the point.                                   

Bruce Fogelson