Shlomo Ganzfried
Encyclopedia
Shlomo Ganzfried was an Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...

 rabbi
Rabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...

 and posek
Posek
Posek is the term in Jewish law for "decider"—a legal scholar who decides the Halakha in cases of law where previous authorities are inconclusive or in those situations where no halakhic precedent exists....

 best known as author of the work of Halakha
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...

 (Jewish law), the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (Hebrew
Hebrew language
Hebrew is a Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Culturally, is it considered by Jews and other religious groups as the language of the Jewish people, though other Jewish languages had originated among diaspora Jews, and the Hebrew language is also used by non-Jewish groups, such...

: קיצור שולחן ערוך, "The Abbreviated Shulchan Aruch
Shulchan Aruch
The Shulchan Aruch also known as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most authoritative legal code of Judaism. It was authored in Safed, Israel, by Yosef Karo in 1563 and published in Venice two years later...

"), by which title he is also known.

Biography

Ganzfried was born in the year 1804 in Uzhhorod
Uzhhorod
Uzhhorod or Uzhgorod is a city located in western Ukraine, at the border with Slovakia and near the border with Hungary. It is the administrative center of the Zakarpattia Oblast , as well as the administrative center of the surrounding Uzhhorodskyi Raion within the oblast...

 (Ungvar) in the Carpathia
Carpathia
Carpathia can refer to various things:*RMS Carpathia was a steamship, notable for its role in the rescue of survivors from the sinking of the RMS Titanic on April 15, 1912*Carpathian Mountains, part of a mountain range in Europe...

n region of the Habsburg
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg , also found as Hapsburg, and also known as House of Austria is one of the most important royal houses of Europe and is best known for being an origin of all of the formally elected Holy Roman Emperors between 1438 and 1740, as well as rulers of the Austrian Empire and...

 Empire (now Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...

). His father Joseph died when he was eight. Ganzfried was considered to be a child prodigy and Ungvar's chief rabbi and Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva
Rosh yeshiva, , , is the title given to the dean of a Talmudical academy . It is made up of the Hebrew words rosh — meaning head, and yeshiva — a school of religious Jewish education...

, Rabbi Zvi Hirsh Heller assumed legal guardianship; Heller was known as "Hershele the Sharp-witted" for his piercing insights into the Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....

. Heller later moved to the city of Bonyhád
Bonyhád
Bonyhád is a town in Tolna County in Southwestern Hungary. It is governed by a city council and a mayor. The current mayor of Bonyhád is Arpad Potapi who has served in this capacity since 2002....

, and Ganzfried, then fifteen, followed him. He remained in Heller's yeshiva
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...

 for almost a decade until his ordination
Semicha
, also , or is derived from a Hebrew word which means to "rely on" or "to be authorized". It generally refers to the ordination of a rabbi within Judaism. In this sense it is the "transmission" of rabbinic authority to give advice or judgment in Jewish law...

 and marriage. After his marriage he worked briefly as a wine-merchant.

In 1830, he abandoned commerce and accepted the position of rabbi of Brezovica
Brezovica Municipality, Slovenia
Brezovica ) is a municipality in central Slovenia, just south of its capital Ljubljana. It has approximately 9,300 inhabitants. Its administrative centre is the settlement of Brezovica pri Ljubljani. It is the central municipality in the Ljubljansko barje marshland area...

 (Brezevitz). In 1849, he returned to Ungvar as a dayan, a judge in the religious court. At that time Ungvar's spiritual head, Rabbi Meir Ash
Meir Eisenstaedter
Rabbi Meir Eisenstaedter - or Meir Ash - known as the Maharam Ash was one of the greatest Talmudists of the nineteenth century. He is best known as author of "Imre Esh" - the collection of his responsa published by his son in 1864...

, was active in the Orthodox
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...

 camp, in opposition to the Neologs. Through serving with Ash, Ganzfried realised that in order to remain committed to Orthodoxy, "the average Jew required an underpinning of a knowledge of practical halakha
Halakha
Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...

 (Jewish law)". It was to this end that Ganzfried composed the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch. This work became very popular, and was frequently reprinted in Hebrew and in Yiddish. This work often records more stringent positions.

Rabbi Ganzfried remained in the office of Dayan until his death, July 30, 1886.

Kitzur Shulchan Aruch

The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch is a summary of the Shulchan Aruch
Shulchan Aruch
The Shulchan Aruch also known as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most authoritative legal code of Judaism. It was authored in Safed, Israel, by Yosef Karo in 1563 and published in Venice two years later...

 of Joseph Karo with reference to later commentaries, per the title page of the first edition, "written for God-fearing Jews who are not in a position to study and comprehend the [original, full] Shulchan Aruch and its commentaries, and... composed in a Hebrew that can be easily understood." The Kitzur states what is permitted and what is forbidden without ambiguity. Ganzfried was Jewish Hungarian
History of the Jews in Hungary
Hungarian Jews have existed since at least the 11th century. After struggling against discrimination throughout the Middle Ages, by the early 20th century the community grew to be 5% of Hungary's population , and were prominent in science, the arts and business...

 and the emphasis is on the customs
Minhag
Minhag is an accepted tradition or group of traditions in Judaism. A related concept, Nusach , refers to the traditional order and form of the prayers...

 of Jews of Hungary at that time. This work was explicitly written as a popular text and as such is not at the level of detail of the Shulchan Aruch itself, while generally following its structure. Rabbi Ganzfried expressed his intentions in his introduction :
To determine a ruling, Ganzfried based his decisions on three halakhic authorities
Posek
Posek is the term in Jewish law for "decider"—a legal scholar who decides the Halakha in cases of law where previous authorities are inconclusive or in those situations where no halakhic precedent exists....

: Rabbi Yaakov Lorberbaum
Yaakov Lorberbaum
Yaakov ben Moshe Lorberbaum of Lissa was a Rabbi and Posek...

; Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the first rebbe
Rebbe
Rebbe , which means master, teacher, or mentor, is a Yiddish word derived from the Hebrew word Rabbi. It often refers to the leader of a Hasidic Jewish movement...

 of Chabad Lubavitch, author of the Shulchan Aruch HaRav
Shulchan Aruch HaRav
The Shulchan Aruch HaRav is a codification of halakha by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, known during his lifetime as HaRav...

; and Rabbi Abraham Danzig, author of Chayei Adam
Chayei Adam
Chayei Adam is a work of Jewish law by Rabbi Avraham Danzig , dealing with the laws discussed in the Orach Chayim section of the Shulchan Aruch...

and Chochmat Adam. In cases of disagreement he adopted the majority view. (Karo had used a similar method in composing his Shulchan Aruch where his references were to Rabbi Isaac Alfasi
Isaac Alfasi
for other Al-Fasi's see Al-Fasi disambiguationIsaac ben Jacob Alfasi ha-Cohen - also known as the Alfasi or by his Hebrew acronym Rif , was a Talmudist and posek...

, Maimonides
Maimonides
Moses ben-Maimon, called Maimonides and also known as Mūsā ibn Maymūn in Arabic, or Rambam , was a preeminent medieval Jewish philosopher and one of the greatest Torah scholars and physicians of the Middle Ages...

 and Rabbi Asher ben Jehiel
Asher ben Jehiel
Asher ben Jehiel- Ashkenazi was an eminent rabbi and Talmudist best known for his abstract of Talmudic law. He is often referred to as Rabbenu Asher, “our Rabbi Asher” or by the Hebrew acronym for this title, the ROSH...

.)

The Kitzur became immensely popular after its publication due to its simplicity, and is still popular within Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism
Orthodox Judaism , is the approach to Judaism which adheres to the traditional interpretation and application of the laws and ethics of the Torah as legislated in the Talmudic texts by the Sanhedrin and subsequently developed and applied by the later authorities known as the Gaonim, Rishonim, and...

, as a framework for study. Note, however, that "the Kitzur" is not generally used as a basis for making Halakhic decisions
Posek
Posek is the term in Jewish law for "decider"—a legal scholar who decides the Halakha in cases of law where previous authorities are inconclusive or in those situations where no halakhic precedent exists....

; rather, Rabbis will use the Shulchan Aruch
Shulchan Aruch
The Shulchan Aruch also known as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most authoritative legal code of Judaism. It was authored in Safed, Israel, by Yosef Karo in 1563 and published in Venice two years later...

 (including the various commentaries), or later works such as Mishnah Berurah
Mishnah Berurah
The Mishnah Berurah is a work of halakha by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan , also colloquially known by the name of another of his books, Chofetz Chaim "Desirer of Life."...

 or Kaf HaChaim
Yaakov Chaim Sofer
Yaakov Chaim Sofer was an Orthodox rabbi, Kabbalist, Talmudist and posek . Sofer is author of the work of halakha titled Kaf Hachayim, by which title he is also known....

. (It is thought that the title added to this book's immediate and continuing popularity: many other works - Ben Ish Hai, Chayei Adam
Chayei Adam
Chayei Adam is a work of Jewish law by Rabbi Avraham Danzig , dealing with the laws discussed in the Orach Chayim section of the Shulchan Aruch...

and others - are also concise, and suitable for laypersons or summaries of the Shulchan Aruch
Shulchan Aruch
The Shulchan Aruch also known as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most authoritative legal code of Judaism. It was authored in Safed, Israel, by Yosef Karo in 1563 and published in Venice two years later...

 but did not reach the level of the Kitzur's popularity.)

Because of this popularity it is often printed with cross-references to other works of halakha, especially the Shulchan Aruch HaRav
Shulchan Aruch HaRav
The Shulchan Aruch HaRav is a codification of halakha by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, known during his lifetime as HaRav...

or the Mishnah Berurah
Mishnah Berurah
The Mishnah Berurah is a work of halakha by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan , also colloquially known by the name of another of his books, Chofetz Chaim "Desirer of Life."...

; one popular edition also contains notes by former Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu
Mordechai Eliyahu
Mordechai Tzemach Eliyahu ) was a prominent rabbi, posek and spiritual leader. He served as the Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel from 1983 to 1993.-Biography:...

 cross-referring to leading Sephardi
Sephardic Judaism
Sephardic law and customs means the practice of Judaism as observed by the Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews, so far as it is peculiar to themselves and not shared with other Jewish groups such as the Ashkenazim...

 authorities. Many editions include as an appendix the laws pertaining to the Land of Israel
Land of Israel
The Land of Israel is the Biblical name for the territory roughly corresponding to the area encompassed by the Southern Levant, also known as Canaan and Palestine, Promised Land and Holy Land. The belief that the area is a God-given homeland of the Jewish people is based on the narrative of the...

 by the Chazon Ish (Rabbi Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz). A recent commentary is Shearim Metzuyanim be-Halakhah, by Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Braun, which examines contemporary problems in the light of the work. Ganzfried himself, however, stated that there should be no commentaries on his work, since its point, as indicated by its title, was that it should remain short - and that such commentaries should be appended to the Shulchan Aruch
Shulchan Aruch
The Shulchan Aruch also known as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most authoritative legal code of Judaism. It was authored in Safed, Israel, by Yosef Karo in 1563 and published in Venice two years later...

 itself, rather than to the Kitzur.

The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch Yomi ("Daily Kitzur Shulchan Aruch") is a daily learning program, where the work is completed each year. The schedule does not follow the contents in order, rather it is arranged such that one reviews the laws of the Jewish holidays in the weeks before each. The cycle begins each year just after the festival of Sukkot
Sukkot
Sukkot is a Biblical holiday celebrated on the 15th day of the month of Tishrei . It is one of the three biblically mandated festivals Shalosh regalim on which Hebrews were commanded to make a pilgrimage to the Temple in Jerusalem.The holiday lasts seven days...

. The program is increasingly popular as it requires only 5 – 10 minutes per day.

Translations

The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch has been translated into English several times. Hyman E. Goldin's translation was published in 1961 with an attempt to eliminate errors and improve upon previous translations, making it "more comprehensible to scholar and layperson alike." It is thought that the English title "Code of Jewish Law" has added to the popularity of the work although it is misleading. The 1980s
1980s
File:1980s decade montage.png|thumb|400px|From left, clockwise: The first Space Shuttle, Columbia, lifted off in 1981; American President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev eased tensions between the two superpowers, leading to the end of the Cold War; The Fall of the Berlin Wall in...

 and 90s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...

 saw the publication of two modernized translations, which included cross references similar to those in contemporary Hebrew editions as above: in 1987 Metsudah Publications released a translation by Rabbi Avrohom Davis, and in 1991 Moznaim Publishing released a translation by Rabbi Eliyahu Touger. Currently under release is a new translation by Artscroll
ArtScroll
ArtScroll is an imprint of translations, books and commentaries from an Orthodox Jewish perspective published by Mesorah Publications, Ltd., a publishing company based in Brooklyn, New York...

, under the general editorship of Rabbi Eliyahu Klugman, which includes comparisons with the Mishnah Berurah
Mishnah Berurah
The Mishnah Berurah is a work of halakha by Rabbi Yisrael Meir Kagan , also colloquially known by the name of another of his books, Chofetz Chaim "Desirer of Life."...

and the Igrot Moshe of Moshe Feinstein
Moshe Feinstein
Moshe Feinstein was a Lithuanian Orthodox rabbi, scholar and posek , who was world-renowned for his expertise in Halakha and was regarded by many as the de facto supreme halakhic authority for Orthodox Jewry of North America during his lifetime...

 .
  • Code of Jewish Law. Hebrew Publishing Co. (Transl. Hyman Goldin
    Hyman Goldin
    Rabbi Hyman E. Goldin, LL.B. was a Lithanian-American Orthodox Rabbi, attorney and Judaic scholar. A prolific author of English Jewish literature, he wrote over fifty works....

    ), 1927. ISBN 0884827798
  • Kitzur Shulchan Aruch. Compact Set. Metsudah Publications, 2006. ISBN 1931681996
  • Kitzur Schulchan Oruch. Moznaim Publishing Corp, 1991. ISBN 0940118637
  • The Kleinman Edition Kitzur Shulchan Aruch. Vol. 1. Artscroll, 2008. ISBN 1422608328

Other works

  • Kesses HaSofer (קסת הסופר), a halachic
    Halakha
    Halakha — also transliterated Halocho , or Halacha — is the collective body of Jewish law, including biblical law and later talmudic and rabbinic law, as well as customs and traditions.Judaism classically draws no distinction in its laws between religious and ostensibly non-religious life; Jewish...

     primer for scribes published in 1835. Ganzfried composed this while he was still engaged in business.
  • Pnei Shlomo (פני שלמה), an elucidation of portions of the Talmud.
  • Toras Zevach (תורת זבח), a halakhic handbook for practitioners of shechita
    Shechita
    Shechita is the ritual slaughter of mammals and birds according to Jewish dietary laws...

    , ritual slaughter.
  • Sefer Apiryon (ספר אפריון), a commentary on the Bible.
  • Lechem V'simlah (לחם ושמלה) on the laws of Niddah
    Niddah
    Niddah is a Hebrew term describing a woman during menstruation, or a woman who has menstruated and not yet completed the associated requirement of immersion in a mikveh ....

  • Ohalei Sheim (אהלי שם) on the official spellings of Hebrew names, as pertaining to gittin
    Get (divorce document)
    A is a divorce document, which according to Jewish Law, must be presented by a husband to his wife to effect their divorce. The essential text of the is quite short: "You are hereby permitted to all men," i.e., the wife is no longer a married woman, and the laws of adultery no longer apply...

    .
  • Sheim Yosef (שם יוסף) on various sugyos in Shas
    Talmud
    The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....

    .
  • Sefer Galuy A letter Written at the time of the Congress of 1869

See also

Similar works
  • Chayei Adam
    Chayei Adam
    Chayei Adam is a work of Jewish law by Rabbi Avraham Danzig , dealing with the laws discussed in the Orach Chayim section of the Shulchan Aruch...

     and Chochmat Adam by Avraham Danzig (Poland, 1748–1820), similar Ashkenazi works.
  • Ben Ish Chai
    Ben Ish Chai
    Yosef Chaim or in Iraqi Hebrew Yoseph Ḥayyim was a leading hakham , authority on Jewish law and Master Kabbalist...

     by Yosef Chaim
    Yosef Chaim
    Yosef Chaim is the name of:*Chacham Yosef Chaim of Baghdad , better known as the Ben Ish Chai *Yosef Chaim Brenner , a pioneer in Hebrew literature...

     (Baghdad, 1832–1909), a Sephardi work with a similar purpose.
  • "Kitzur Shulchan Aruch", a similar Sephardi work by Rabbi Raphael Baruch Toledano.
  • "Kitzur Shulchan Aruch Mekor Hayyim", a similar Sephardi work by Rabbi Hayim David HaLevi
    Hayim David HaLevi
    Rabbi Hayim David HaLevi , also written Haim David ha-Levi, etc. ,was Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv-Jaffa. He was born in Jerusalem and studied under Rabbi Ben-Zion Meir Hai Uziel at the Porat Yosef Yeshiva. When R. Uziel was appointed Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, he hired R...

    .
  • The volumes entitled "Kitzur Shulchan Aruch" from Yalkut Yosef
    Yalkut Yosef
    Yalkut Yosef is an authoritative, contemporary work of Halakha, providing a detailed explanation of the Shulchan Aruch as based on the halachic rulings of the former Rishon LeTzion Rav Ovadia Yosef...

    , a similar Sephardi work.
  • The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch Sefardi by Rabbi Reuven Amar.
  • Das Vadin 

External links

Online full-text versions
  • In the original Hebrew:
    • Hebrew Full-text, shofar.net (note: single, very large webpage)
    • www.Kitzur.net, follows the international Kitzur Yomi (daily) schedule; fully searchable; viewable with or without nekudot (punctuation symbols); daily halachos available by email
  • Translated to English:


Kitzur Shulchan Aruch Yomi
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