From 2002, when my work on The Code of Jewish Law began, to 2015, when it was first published, to this second edition in 2023, little has changed from the original work in 1563, I hope! At first, this was an obscure book I found on my office desk, and it sat there for years before I began this transcription. Written in 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 reducing to common modern English was the authoritative work that it was. 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 great and important work. I urge you to consider the source and history.  What  I found was very old point-by-point instructions pertaining to how one should conduct his or her daily life. It reads 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 the work of Solomon Ganzfried, who was an Orthodox rabbi and posek best known as an author of Halakha (Jewish law), the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch. Who wrote down this code of Jewish law?  The Shulchan Aruch was written in 1563 by Yosef Karo in Safed, Israel, and published two years later in Venice, Italy. It has been republished and translated countless times. This time for a modern reader. And this time with a glossary for Hebrew words and phrases and put online to take advantages of the world wide web at TheCodeOfJewishLaw.comThe 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. I find much of the Jewish liturgy to be more original text, commentary, or prayer – Not just a list like this. With words to live by.

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 doesn’t 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 seems 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 and, in this case, much sacrificed. This is 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 or reduced the passages well. It is intended to be faithful and in the original structure.
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

September 23, 2015 – Tishrei 10, 5776.

Update May 14, 2023

May 14, 2023, corresponds to the 14th of Iyar, 5783, in the Hebrew calendar. This date is also significant in Israeli history as it corresponds to Israel’s Independence Day, Yom Ha’atzmaut. Israel declared independence on the Gregorian date of May 14, 1948, which was the 5th of Iyar, 5708 in the Hebrew calendar. The celebration of Yom Ha’atzmaut, however, is based on the Hebrew date and not the Gregorian one.The website was created in 2024 to make the work accessible and searchable online.