Torah.org Home Subscribe Services Support Us
 
Shulchan-Aruch

The Shulchan Aruch ("Set Table") is a compendium of those areas of the halachah -- Jewish religious law -- that are applicable today. It was composed by Rabbi Yosef Karo of Safed (Israel) in the 1560's, and became generally accepted as authoritative after Rabbi Moshe Isserls of Cracow (Poland) supplemented it in the 1570's with notes (known as the Mappah - "Tablecloth") giving the rulings followed by Ashkenazic Jews.

The Shulchan Aruch consists of four parts:

  • Orach Chayim ("Way of Life") - Daily, Sabbath, and holiday laws

  • Yoreh De'ah ("It Teaches Knowledge") - Laws about food; relations with non-Jews; usury; menstruation and immersion; vows and oaths; honoring parents and scholars; Torah study; charity; circumcision; proselytes and slaves; Torah and doorpost scrolls; new crops; mixtures; firstborn; offerings from bread, crops, and flocks; the ban; illness, death, burial, and mourning.

  • Even Ha-Ezer ("Stone of Help") - Laws of procreation, marriage, and divorce

  • Choshen Mishpat ("Breastplate of Judgment") - Laws about judges and witnesses; loans and claims; agents, partners and neighbors; acquisition, purchases and gifts; legacies and inheritance; lost and found property; depositing, renting, and borrowing; theft, robbery, damage and injury.

The purpose of this course is to present a summary of the contents of the Shulchan Aruch which can serve as an introduction to further study. (References to chapter and paragraph numbers (x:y) in the Shulchan Aruch are given throughout.) The summary is based entirely on the Shulchan Aruch and Mappah themselves (usually following the latter when they differ) and emphasizes general principles; it omits many details and does not include rulings given in the commentaries or in later codes.

It should be stressed that the statements in a summary must not be interpreted as halachic rulings no matter how definitively they are worded. When such rulings are needed a qualified rabbi must be consulted.

The course will be presented by Rabbi Dr. Azriel Rosenfeld, who received Rabbinic ordination from the Rabbi Yitzchok Elchonon Theological Seminary of Yeshiva University. He is Director of the Center for Automation Research at the University of Maryland in College Park and a past President of the Association of Orthodox Jewish Scientists. He is the author of our popular Halacha-overview course, which is based on the Rambam's comprehensive code Mishneh Torah.

Subscribe to Shulchan Aruch and receive the weekly class via e-mail.

Access the Archives!


 

ARTICLES ON EMOR AND THE OMER:

View Complete List

MakeTime
Shlomo Katz - 5768

Intent and Purpose
Rabbi Aron Tendler - 5760

Love Thy Enemy
Rabbi Raymond Beyda - 5765

The Everything Torah Book

Going Against the Tide
Rabbi Eliyahu Hoffmann - 5762

Deciphering The Medrash's Linkage of Omer, Milah, and Sotah
Rabbi Yissocher Frand - 5763

The Exclusion of Exclusive
Rabbi Aron Tendler - 5761

Email Sponsorship

Loving Your Fellow Jew
Rabbi Yosef Kalatzky - 5762

Lag B'Omer
Rabbi Yehudah Prero - 5755

Look to the Future
Rabbi Pinchas Avruch - 5764

ArtScroll

Do You Know Your Own Power
Shlomo Katz - 5763

Making Light of The Kohanim
Rabbi Pinchas Winston - 5767

My Responsibility in MY World
Rabbi Yisroel Ciner - 5757

Win Free Laptops this Lag Ba

Forced to Be Holy
Rabbi Yaakov Menken - 5762

Actions Speak Louder Than Words
Rabbi Pinchas Avruch - 5766

From Emor to Omer
Rabbi Pinchas Winston - 5762

Customs Going Back To The Days of Pharisees and the Sadducees
Rabbi Yissocher Frand - 5768


Learning Events and Programs

Project Genesis

Torah.org Home


Torah Portion

Jewish Law

Ethics

Texts

Learn the Basics

Seasons

Features

TORAHAUDIO

Ask The Rabbi

Knowledge Base

Discussion Forum




Help

About Us

Contact Us


Enable popup menus


Download to my HandHeld


Torah.org Home
Torah.org HomeCapalon.com Copyright Information