Shulhan Aruh

Written in 1563 by Rabbi Joseph Karo in Ottoman-controlled Israel, the Shulhan Aruh is a thorough and most widely-consulted code of Jewish Law. It is more closely associated with Sephardic customs, while Ashkenazi adhere to Moses Isserles’ later gloss and commentary on the Shulhan Aruh. The proliferation of this work was closely tied to the increased availability of printing technology, and for centuries afterwards there has been a rich exchange of commentaries and criticisms of the Shulhan Aruh.