''Arukh HaShulchan'' (
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
: עָרוּךְ הַשֻּׁלְחָן
r, arguably, עָרֹךְ הַשֻּׁלְחָן; see ''Title'' below is a work of
halacha
''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical comman ...
written by
Yechiel Michel Epstein
Yechiel Michel ha-Levi Epstein ( he, יחיאל מיכל הלוי אפשטיין)
(24 January 1829 – 25 March 1908), often called "the ''Aruch haShulchan''" after his magnum opus, Aruch HaShulchan, was a Rabbi and ''Posek'' (authority in Jew ...
(1829–1908). The work attempts to be a clear, organized summary of the sources for each chapter of the ''
Shulchan Arukh'' and its commentaries, with special emphasis on the positions of the
Jerusalem Talmud
The Jerusalem Talmud ( he, תַּלְמוּד יְרוּשַׁלְמִי, translit=Talmud Yerushalmi, often for short), also known as the Palestinian Talmud or Talmud of the Land of Israel, is a collection of rabbinic notes on the second-century ...
and
Maimonides
Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Tora ...
.
Title
The title "Arukh HaShulchan" ("the table is set") is a clear allusion to the ''
Shulchan Arukh'' ("the set table") on which it draws, and to ''Arokh ha-Shulchan'' from .
Samuel Kalman Mirsky argued that the title should be pronounced ''Arokh'' as in Isaiah, but
Eitam Henkin argued that it should be pronounced ''Arukh'' to clarify the allusion to the ''Shulchan Arukh'', and pointed to its original title page, which includes the Russian transliteration Арух-Гашулхоиъ.
Structure
In ''Arukh HaShulchan'', Epstein cites the source of each law as found in the
Talmud
The Talmud (; he, , Talmūḏ) is the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the primary source of Jewish religious law ('' halakha'') and Jewish theology. Until the advent of modernity, in nearly all Jewish communities, the Talmud was the ce ...
and
Maimonides
Musa ibn Maimon (1138–1204), commonly known as Maimonides (); la, Moses Maimonides and also referred to by the acronym Rambam ( he, רמב״ם), was a Sephardic Jewish philosopher who became one of the most prolific and influential Tora ...
, and states the legal decision as found in the ''Shulchan Arukh'' with the glosses of Isserles. When he deems it necessary, Epstein also mentions the views of other ''
Rishonim
''Rishonim'' (; he, ; sing. he, , ''Rishon'', "the first ones") were the leading rabbis and '' poskim'' who lived approximately during the 11th to 15th centuries, in the era before the writing of the ''Shulchan Aruch'' ( he, , "Set Table", a ...
'' (early, pre-1550 authorities), and especially ''
Acharonim
In Jewish law and history, ''Acharonim'' (; he, אחרונים ''Aḥaronim''; sing. , ''Aḥaron''; lit. "last ones") are the leading rabbis and poskim (Jewish legal decisors) living from roughly the 16th century to the present, and more specifi ...
'' (later authorities), occasionally disagreeing with the latter.
The work follows the structure of the ''
Tur'' and the ''Shulchan Arukh'': A division into four large parts, subdivided into parallel chapters (''simanim'') that match in all three works. These are further subdivided into paragraphs (''se'ifim''), but the latter does not match in the three works (the ''Tur'' has no official ''se'ifim'' at all, and the ''se'ifim'' of the ''Shulchan Arukh'' do not match that of the ''Arukh HaShulchan'').
Method
Epstein tends to take a lenient view (''le-kula'') but decidedly without compromising in any form on the power and rule of Jewish law. When the established custom conflicts with theoretical ''halacha'', Epstein tends to side with local custom, to a greater extent than is the case in works such as the ''
Mishnah Berurah''.
Moshe Feinstein
Moshe Feinstein ( he, משה פײַנשטיין; Lithuanian pronunciation: ''Moshe Faynshteyn''; en, Moses Feinstein; March 3, 1895 – March 23, 1986) was an American Orthodox rabbi, scholar, and ''posek'' (authority on ''halakha''—J ...
once said that the decisions of the ''Arukh HaShulchan'' — who was a full-time rabbi — take precedence over many ''
posek
In Jewish law, a ''Posek'' ( he, פוסק , pl. ''poskim'', ) is a legal scholar who determines the position of ''halakha'', the Jewish religious laws derived from the written and Oral Torah in cases of Jewish law where previous authorities a ...
s'' who were not active rabbis. A rabbi takes into consideration more than just the abstract and black-and-white concepts of the law when rendering a legal opinion.
Similar works
The ''Arukh HaShulchan'' is often quoted alongside the ''
Mishnah Berurah'', a work partially composed earlier by
Yisrael Meir Kagan
Rabbi Yisrael Meir ha-Kohen Kagan (January 26, 1838 – September 15, 1933), known popularly as the Chofetz Chaim, after his book on lashon hara, who was also well known for the Mishna Berurah, his book on ritual law, was an influential Lith ...
. The ''Arukh Hashulchan'' was composed and printed serially starting with ''
Choshen Mishpat Choshen Mishpat is the Hebrew for "Breastplate of Judgement". The term is associated with one of the four sections of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation of halakha (Jewish law), Arba'ah Turim. This section treats aspects of Jewish law pertinent to ...
'' (prior to the printing of the ''Mishna Berurah'') and the section on ''Orach Chayim'' published afterwards. Indeed, the ''Arukh HaShulchan'' refers in a number of places to the ''Mishnah Berurah''. Due to the latter's popularity in the ''
Haredi
Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...
'' world, the ''Mishnah Berurah'' is often considered authoritative over ''Arukh HaShulchan'' by ''Haredi'' Jews. However, many people (including
Yosef Eliyahu Henkin
Rabbi Yosef Eliyahu Henkin (1881–1973) was a prominent Orthodox rabbi in the United States.
Biography
He was born in 1881 in Klimavichy, Belarus, then in the Russian Empire, and studied at the Slutzker Yeshiva under Rabbi Isser Zalman Mel ...
and Yehuda Pearl) have famously held that the ''Arukh HaShulchan'' is more authoritative, since its author was the rabbi of a community, and since it was printed after the ''Mishnah Berurah''. Also, ''Arukh HaShulchan'' has a much wider scope than the ''Mishnah Berurah''.
Editions
The work was originally published during the author's lifetime in numerous small volumes that appeared from 5644-5653 (1884–1893), beginning with ''Choshen Mishpat'', at the beginning of which the author's introduction is found. Many volumes were reprinted posthumously by his daughter.
Images of the first edition have been reprinted dozens of times to this day. These reprints usually appear in eight volumes, which mostly reflect the division of volumes in the Vilna edition of the ''Shulchan Arukh'' (with the exception of ''
Yoreh Deah
Yoreh De'ah ( he, יורה דעה) is a section of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation of halakha (Jewish law), Arba'ah Turim around 1300. This section treats all aspects of Jewish law not pertinent to the Hebrew calendar, finance, torts, marriage, ...
''). The page numbering in the reprints still reflects the smaller volumes of the original printing.
A ninth volume was published in 1992 by
Simcha Fishbane of
Chicago, Illinois
(''City in a Garden''); I Will
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, subdivision_name ...
, who was given permission by the Israeli Bar-Ilan family, descendants of the author, to print 36 previously unpublished chapters on the laws of oaths (''Hilkhot
Nedarim'', Yoreh Deah 203-239). These chapters were found in manuscripts by the author's own hand, along with various sermons that were published together in the same volume.
Another, longer section of ''Yoreh Deah'', which consists of 60 sections on laws connected to idolatry (123-182), is still lost.
The first completely new edition of ''Arukh HaShulchan'' appeared in 5766 (2006), by "Oz Vehadar" publishers in
New Square, New York. This edition adds comparisons to rulings by the ''Mishnah Berurah'' in ''Orach Chaim''. It originally did not contain the laws of oaths (''Yoreh Deah'' 203-239) previously published by Fishbane, but they were subsequently added.
Arukh HaShulchan He'Atid
Epstein also wrote a similar work entitled ''Arukh HaShulchan He'Atid'' (''Laying the Table of the Future''), a parallel work to ''Arukh HaShulchan'' summarizing and analyzing the laws that will apply in
Messianic times. Some of the laws discussed, such as those relating to agriculture and farming, apply today for those living in the
Land of Israel.
[As noted by Rabbi Meir Berlin, grandson of the author, in his introduction to the first volume of ''Aruch HaShulchan he'Atid''.]
Commentaries on Arukh Hashulchan
*''Zafo ha-Zafit'' (צפה הצפית) by Mordecai Rabinovitch. An in-depth commentary on the laws of
Hanukkah
or English translation: 'Establishing' or 'Dedication' (of the Temple in Jerusalem)
, nickname =
, observedby = Jews
, begins = 25 Kislev
, ends = 2 Tevet or 3 Tevet
, celebrations = Lighting candles each night. ...
and
Megillah. The commentary's title is based on the continuation of the verse from which the title ''Arukh ha-Shulchan'' is taken (Isaiah 21:5).
*''Be'ur Halakhah'' (ביאור הלכה), by the
Aleksander Rebbe from
Cleveland
Cleveland ( ), officially the City of Cleveland, is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Cuyahoga County. Located in the northeastern part of the state, it is situated along the southern shore of Lake Erie, across the U.S. ...
, Shneur Zalmen Dancyger.
See also
* ''
Kaf hachaim'' by
Yaakov Chaim Sofer
Yaakov Chaim Sofer (1870–1939) (Hebrew: יעקב חיים סופר) was a Sephardi rabbi, Kabbalist, Talmudist and ''posek''. He is the author of ''Kaf Hachaim'', a work of halakha that he came to be known by.
Biography
Sofer was born in Bagh ...
- a contemporaneous work discussing
Orach Chayim
Orach Chayim, (''manner/way of life'') is a section of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation of Halakha (Jewish law), Arba'ah Turim. This section addresses aspects of Jewish law pertinent to the Hebrew calendar (be it the daily, weekly, monthly, o ...
and some of
Yoreh De'ah
Yoreh De'ah ( he, יורה דעה) is a section of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation of halakha (Jewish law), Arba'ah Turim around 1300. This section treats all aspects of Jewish law not pertinent to the Hebrew calendar, finance, torts, marriage, ...
in light of the ''
Rishonim
''Rishonim'' (; he, ; sing. he, , ''Rishon'', "the first ones") were the leading rabbis and '' poskim'' who lived approximately during the 11th to 15th centuries, in the era before the writing of the ''Shulchan Aruch'' ( he, , "Set Table", a ...
'' and ''
Acharonim
In Jewish law and history, ''Acharonim'' (; he, אחרונים ''Aḥaronim''; sing. , ''Aḥaron''; lit. "last ones") are the leading rabbis and poskim (Jewish legal decisors) living from roughly the 16th century to the present, and more specifi ...
''.
* ''
Mishnah Berurah'' by
Yisrael Meir Kagan
Rabbi Yisrael Meir ha-Kohen Kagan (January 26, 1838 – September 15, 1933), known popularly as the Chofetz Chaim, after his book on lashon hara, who was also well known for the Mishna Berurah, his book on ritual law, was an influential Lith ...
- a
gloss summarizing the opinions of the ''
Acharonim
In Jewish law and history, ''Acharonim'' (; he, אחרונים ''Aḥaronim''; sing. , ''Aḥaron''; lit. "last ones") are the leading rabbis and poskim (Jewish legal decisors) living from roughly the 16th century to the present, and more specifi ...
'' on
Orach Chayim
Orach Chayim, (''manner/way of life'') is a section of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation of Halakha (Jewish law), Arba'ah Turim. This section addresses aspects of Jewish law pertinent to the Hebrew calendar (be it the daily, weekly, monthly, o ...
.
* ''
Kitzur Shulchan Arukh'' by
Shlomo Ganzfried
Shlomo Ganzfried (or ''Salomon ben Joseph Ganzfried''; 1804 in Ungvár – 30 July 1886 in Ungvár) was an Orthodox rabbi and posek best known as the author of the work of Halakha (Jewish law), the ''Kitzur Shulchan Aruch'' (Hebrew: קיצ ...
References
Further reading
*
* Broyde, Michael J. &
External links
*
Arukh HaShulhan at Hebrew Wikitext (Hebrew text)
*
Arukh ha-Shulchan translation (incomplete English translation in progress)
A Collection of Studies on the Arukh HaShulchan, its author, and the history of its publicationArukh HaShulhan Yomi- Daily study cycle a
AishDasThe Interaction of Kabbalah and Halachah in the Arukh HaShulchan(
PDF)
Picture of the Arukh HaShulchan (9 vol.)(
GIF)
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Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish law
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