The Alter Rebbe's Shulchan Aruch

For the original Shulchan Aruch by Rabbi Yosef Karo, see Shulchan Aruch.

The Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe (also known as the Shulchan Aruch HaRav, or the Shulchan Aruch of the Graz — an acronym for the Gaon Rabbi Zalman) is one of the most significant works in halachic literature. It was composed by the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi (1745–1812), the founder of Chabad.

The Shulchan Aruch — literally "the Set Table" — is the classical code of Jewish law, originally compiled by Rabbi Yosef Karo in the sixteenth century. The Alter Rebbe's version is not merely an abridgment or commentary; it is a comprehensive reworking that presents each ruling together with its underlying reasoning, taking into account the full range of earlier and later authorities and arriving at a clear, definitive ruling.

Composition

When the Maggid of Mezeritch, Rabbi Dovber, sought to commission a new Shulchan Aruch written in the style of "laws with their reasoning," he had five disciples in mind as candidates for the task: the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Levi Yitzchak of Berditchev, Rabbi Elimelech of Lizhensk, Rabbi Pinchas of Frankfurt (the author of the Hafla'ah), and his brother Rabbi Shmelke of Nikolsburg. In the end he assigned the work to the Alter Rebbe, who was then only twenty-five years old.

The Alter Rebbe labored over the composition for a number of years. His sons describe the commission in the preface they wrote to the work:

"Heaven agreed through the aforementioned holy Rabbi [the Maggid] to search diligently among his disciples to find a man in whom the spirit of G-d rests, who could understand and teach clear law… and arrange all the legal rulings found in the Shulchan Aruch and in all the later authorities in clear, reasoned language — each matter properly set forth — and the final ruling that emerges from the words of all the decisors of our generation… and he chose our revered father of blessed memory and pressed him insistently, saying: There is none as discerning and wise as you to plumb the depths of the law and perform this holy work…"

The first section to appear in print was the Laws of Torah Study (Hilchos Talmud Torah), which was published anonymously. It provoked considerable debate in the wider Jewish world, as it presented these laws with a level of systematic clarity not seen since the era of the Rambam. This section was ultimately not included within the Shulchan Aruch itself.

The first portion of the main work — covering the laws of tzitzis (the fringed garment) and the laws of Passover — was written during the lifetime of the Maggid, his teacher; the rest was composed after the Maggid's passing.

Originally the work was intended to cover all four sections of the Shulchan Aruch. Before the Alter Rebbe was able to bring it to press, however, he also undertook an expanded second edition (mahadura batra) that would include kabbalistic sources and reasoning drawn from the Zohar and Kabbalah; of this second edition only the first four chapters survive.

In 5570 (1810), while the Alter Rebbe was away from home, a fire broke out in his city of Liadi and destroyed all the manuscripts. Only a third of the work survived — in copies that had been transcribed by students before the fire — and it is this portion that was brought to press after his passing.

Among Chabad Chassidim, the composition of the Shulchan Aruch is counted as one of the ten great merits of the Alter Rebbe's life, while the immense difficulties involved in rendering definitive rulings are counted among the ten great trials he endured.

Structure

The Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe comprises five volumes. The first four cover the section of Orach Chaim — the laws governing daily life, Shabbos, and the Jewish calendar — arranged in order of the chapters of the original Shulchan Aruch. The fifth volume contains nineteen chapters from Yoreh Deah (out of that section's 403 chapters) and fifteen topics from Choshen Mishpat, not in the order of the original Shulchan Aruch.

In 5756 (1995–96), a work entitled Piskei Admur HaZakein, Part One, was published. Its aim is to gather all passages throughout the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe from which his positions can be inferred on areas of law for which his own explicit rulings have not survived — primarily in Yoreh Deah and Choshen Mishpat. Part One covers the first section of Yoreh Deah. It was written and edited by Rabbi Arye Leib Kaplan and completed by his son Rabbi Menachem Mendel Kaplan.

The Kuntres Acharon

Main article: Kuntres Acharon — Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe

For certain laws, the Alter Rebbe composed a Kuntres Acharon — literally "a final treatise" — in which he examines the range of halachic opinions, explains his reasoning, and justifies his rulings. The Kuntres Acharon is printed at the bottom of the pages of the work.

In contrast to the clear, accessible language of the main halachic text, the Kuntres Acharon is written in terse, scholarly style. In most cases it was composed close in time to the rulings themselves, though in many instances it was clearly written afterward.

Influence and Reach

Because the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe presents halachic rulings together with their full foundations and reasoning, it was recognized from its earliest appearance as a pioneering work. Later authorities — including the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch, the Mishnah Berurah, the Ben Ish Chai, and the Kaf HaChaim — made extensive use of it and cited it frequently.

In earlier generations, the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe served as the authoritative halachic source for Chassidim across all Chassidic courts. Over time, due to the scarcity of printed copies — printing rights were held exclusively by Chabad, which was confined within Soviet Russia for decades — many Chassidim came to rely primarily on the Mishnah Berurah. In recent years a broad return to ruling according to the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe has taken place.^[1]

The following account is told of Rabbi Dovid Friedman of Karlin, who was an extraordinary scholar and rarely studied the works of the later authorities (Acharonim). One of his disciples once came to visit and found him studying the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe in the laws of Passover. Surprised, the disciple asked: "Rebbe, you almost never study the Acharonim?" Rabbi Dovid Friedman replied: "The Rav" — meaning the Alter Rebbe — "is not an Acharon. He is a Rishon."

(The distinction is significant: the Rishonim — "first ones" — are the great medieval scholars whose rulings carry the weight of near-canonical authority; the Acharonim — "later ones" — are post-medieval authorities whose views, while important, are treated with somewhat less weight. To call the Alter Rebbe a Rishon is to say that his rulings belong in a category apart.)

Editions

The standard edition of the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe is that of the Romm printing house (the Widow and Brothers Romm). This edition contains many errors, particularly in the marginal source references — whose authorship is itself debated, some attributing them to the Alter Rebbe himself — which the printers altered and supplemented at their discretion.

In 5720 (1959–60), when Chabad books were being reprinted by Kehot Publication Society, the Rebbe was asked whether all existing errors should be corrected and a new critical edition prepared. The Rebbe declined. The question was raised again in 5725 (1964–65), and the Rebbe cited two reasons for not making changes: first, that new errors would inevitably be introduced in the typesetting process, and he could not take responsibility for that — particularly in a work of halacha; and second, that the financial cost would be prohibitive and would exhaust all available funds.^[2]

It should be noted that in Kehot editions from 5745 (1984–85) onward, a table of corrections to errors was printed at the end of each volume. These corrections were taken from the series Marei Mekomos VeTziyunim (Source References and Notations) for the Shulchan Aruch. The Rebbe had already wished to include a corrections table in the 5720–5728 Kehot edition, at the end of the sixth volume, but for technical reasons the corrections appeared only in the Marei Mekomos series, and only in 5745 were they incorporated into the Shulchan Aruch itself.^[3]

In 5783 (2022–23), the full set was reprinted in a clear photographic reprint by the Otzar HaChassidim organization, together with the Responsa of the Alter Rebbe.

The New (Re-edited) Edition

Cover of one version of the re-edited edition

In 5753 (1992–93), the publishing house Oz VeHadar released a new edition of the Shulchan Aruch — including the various supplementary material found at the end of the Kehot edition, which they reproduced from Kehot — and Kehot noted a significant decline in sales of its own set. This prompted the proposal for a new Kehot edition. In practice, members of the Otzar HaChassidim team only began preparing a new edition for press in 5783 (2022–23).

In 5759 (1998–99), Rabbi Shalom Dovber Levin and others had issued an edition with a new layout, including annotations, notations, and error corrections. The release of the new edition generated discussion, as a number of changes made within it were seen as contrary to the Rebbe's explicit instructions.^[2]

The new edition was edited by Rabbi Shalom Dovber Levin, Rabbi Yitzchak Wilhelm, and Rabbi Avraham Elashvili. The edition was completed in 5767 (2006–07).^[4]

Praise from Torah Leaders

A call signed by Rebbes and rabbinical leaders urging the study of the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe

The Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe has attracted extraordinary praise from Torah authorities across all communities:

Rabbi Aharon Leib Willner, a dayan (rabbinical court judge) and moreh tzedek (halachic decisor) for the Sanz Chassidim in New York, reported hearing from Rabbi Meir Arik, author of Imrei Yosher: "If the Rav had written his Shulchan Aruch on all four sections of the Shulchan Aruch, I would use no other halachic work."^[5]

Rabbi Tzvi Hirsh Tevel reported: "I heard from my teacher, the Gaon of Koziglov (author of Eretz Tzvi) of blessed memory, who heard from his teacher, the holy author of the Avnei Nezer, that one must be as precise in the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe as in the Rashba."^[6]

 The author of the Avnei Nezer habitually referred to the Vilna Gaon simply as "the Gaon," while he called the Alter Rebbe "the true Gaon." He once told his grandson that in the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe one sees greater depth than in the Gaon's commentary, and demonstrated fourteen questions left unresolved by the Vilna Gaon that are answered within the Alter Rebbe's work. He similarly noted that the difficulties raised by Rabbi Akiva Eiger are resolved within it. He too, like the Divrei Chaim of Sanz and Rabbi Meir Arik, said of the Alter Rebbe: "Who among the later authorities is greater than the Rav of Liadi?"^[7]

The Divrei Chaim of Sanz wrote: "I have since seen that the Shulchan Aruch of the Tanya's author also cites the Beis Lechem Yehudah — and who among the later authorities is greater than he? Let each person consider whom to rely upon: whether upon the holy masters, geonim in both the revealed and mystical dimensions of Torah in the generation before ours, or upon those whose Torah and righteousness are familiar to us."^[8]

Rabbi Menachem Zemba compared the Kuntres Acharon of the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe to the commentary of the Ran (Rabbi Nissim of Gerona): it was reported in his name that "the clarity of reasoning he developed came from his study of the Ran and of the Kuntres Acharon of the Shulchan Aruch of the Tanya's author."^[9]

The Rebbes of Gur held the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe in exceptional esteem and directed their followers to study it. The Sfas Emes of Gur wrote: "If you wish to know the laws of Orach Chaim, it is better to study the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe for half an hour each day, slowly, reviewing each chapter two or three times."^[10]

 The Admor of Talna recounted: "On the yahrzeit of the Alter Rebbe — to whom all Chassidic courts owe their spiritual vitality — I bear witness before heaven and earth: when I was a young man, the Rebbe of Gur, the Beis Yisroel, called me over and asked what I was learning, and what my daily schedule looked like. When I mentioned a certain halachic work, he said: 'You must toil in the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe! Find yourself a study partner for it and you will see light emerge.' And so it was. Many times he would ask me, 'Where are you up to?' and he would add: 'Study Yoreh Deah, study Choshen Mishpat, study it all!'"^[11]

 The Pnei Menachem of Gur said: "In our yeshiva circles we engage very extensively with the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe. We have special sessions devoted to it. One of the heads of our kollel just authored a work based entirely on the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe — a comprehensive composition on the laws of Passover comparable to the Mishnah Berurah, with extensive additions from the major later authorities, but all grounded in the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe… Its style is that of the Rambam, or of the Mishnah. Unlike the Shulchan Aruch of the Mechaber, and especially the Rema, where at first glance many contradictions seem to appear, the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe is entirely refined flour. One must truly be a genius like Rabbi Menachem Zemba to build towering structures on the nuances of the Rav's language."^[12]

Rabbi Meir Arik wrote: "In the Shulchan Aruch of the Rav, Rabbi Schneur Zalman of blessed memory… he writes explicitly… though the reasoning is quite puzzling… I am very reluctant, however, to rule leniently against him, as it is well known how immense is the power of Rabbi Schneur Zalman." And it is said in his name: "Laws for which there is no Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe — I have no clarity in them."^[13]

The Admor of Toldos Aharon: During a private audience (yechidus) with the Rebbe, the Admor of Toldos Aharon noted that it was Chabad Chassidim who had allowed the Mishnah Berurah to become the accepted halachic authority among Polish Chassidim, rather than the Alter Rebbe's work — for the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe had originally been the sole accepted halachic authority throughout Galicia, Poland, and Hungary. Only because, when Jews began immigrating to the Holy Land, there were insufficient printed copies of the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe available there, did the Mishnah Berurah become accepted as the Ashkenazi halachic authority.^[14]

 When his sons studied at a Talmud Torah, the Admor of Toldos Aharon asked that they learn the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe rather than the Mishnah Berurah. At his son Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov Kahn's bar mitzvah, when a guest presented the boy with a set of the Mishnah Berurah, the Admor exclaimed: "Why the Mishnah Berurah? The Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe is more important!" The guest went and exchanged the gift accordingly, to the Admor's great satisfaction.

When the Belz yeshiva in Jerusalem was being established, a list of books for the library was brought before Rabbi Aharon of Belz for his approval. On seeing the list, he said: In place of the Chayei Adam you have included, buy an additional set of the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe.^[14]

In 5773 (2012–13), marking the two hundredth year since the Alter Rebbe's passing, dozens of leading rabbinical authorities issued a joint call to establish regular study sessions in the Alter Rebbe's Hilchos Talmud Torah — the laws of Torah study.^[15]

Works on the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe

A rich body of secondary literature has grown around the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe:

Uri VeYish'i — on the laws of blessings over food, the festivals, Shabbos, and Yom Tov (two parts). Written by Rabbi Neriah Yeshayahu; the third part (Shabbos and Yom Tov) was published by Mosad HaRav Kook.
Piskei Admur HaZakein BeHilchos Issur VeHeter (two parts) — released on the tenth yahrzeit of Rabbi Arye Leib Kaplan. Published by Kehot; compiled and initially edited by Rabbi Kaplan and completed by his son Rabbi Menachem Mendel Kaplan.
Darkei HaShulchan — by Rabbi Mordechai Belinov, on the laws of Passover. Edited by his son Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Belinov, rabbi of central Bnei Brak.
Shulchan HaZahav — by Rabbi Shalom Dovber Friedland, maggid shiur at the Tomchei Temimim Yeshiva in Brunoy.
Shulchan HaMelech — annotations and comments of the Rebbe on the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe, gathered from the Rebbe's writings by Rabbi Avraham Elashvili.
Darkei HaChaim — "Notes and explanations on select passages of the Shulchan Aruch of the author of the Tanya," available at HebrewBooks.org.
Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe with Explanations — a series of booklets published by the Chabad Yeshiva in Tzefas.
Yesodei HaShulchan VeZikukei Orosav — on the Alter Rebbe's system regarding questions of credibility and prohibitions; by Rabbi Shmuel Zajanz, maggid shiur at Tomchei Temimim Morristown, Kislev 5781 (2020).
Tehillah LeDovid — a thorough commentary on the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe by Rabbi Dovid Ortenburger (a Boyaner Chassid from the generation of the Rebbe Rashab).
Chakrei Halachos (nine volumes) — novellae on the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe by Rabbi Yisroel Yitzchak Piekarski.
BeMishnaso Shel HaRav — by Rabbi Yaakov Shlomo Sheinberger, a commentary on the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe covering the laws of interest (ribbis); vol. 1 is modeled in format on the Mishnah Berurah. Elad, 5781 (2020–21).

The Rebbe's Elucidations

The Rebbe addressed various aspects of the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe in his teachings:

The Alter Rebbe's use of source references: The source notations cited by the Alter Rebbe are directly relevant to understanding the halacha, and particularly when he writes "see there" (u'vein sham), the additional sources deepen one's understanding of the ruling. The Alter Rebbe follows a precise order in his citations, and this order itself carries halachic significance.^[16]
Contemporary laws: The Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe focuses on laws relevant to the present time; when it touches on matters relating to the future, it does so only insofar as they bear upon present-day life.^[16]
"A G-d-fearing person should be stringent": This guidance, which appears in various places in the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe, is addressed to every individual, and grants each person the capacity to conduct himself in certain areas with the heightened conscientiousness of someone who "fears Heaven" — even if that is not his general standard of observance.^[17]

External Links

Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe (Kehot edition): Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vols. 3–4, Vols. 5–6
Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe, re-edited edition, Orach Chaim: Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3, Vol. 4
Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe — Chabad Library
Shulchanharav.com — explanations, shiurim, and studies
Rabbi Shlomo Yosef Zevin, "The Character of the Alter Rebbe's Halachic Work", TorasChabad.com
Rabbi Shalom Dovber Levin, "The Shulchan Aruch — Stages in Its Composition", within Toldos Chabad BeRussia HaTzarit — Chabad Library
Rabbi Shalom Dovber Levin, Introduction to the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe — Chabad Library
Menachem Bronfman, Comprehensive review of the annotated Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe, AlySefer.com

Notes

↑ In the book Darchei HaRav on the laws of Chanukah by Rabbi Yoel HaLevi Meller, the author writes in his introduction (p. 15): "As I merited hearing many times from my teacher and father-in-law… the holy Rabbi Shraga Feivish Hager of Kosov of blessed memory… that the Shulchan Aruch HaRav is the final authority for all Chassidic communities — and although the Mishnah Berurah was written after the Tanya's author, nevertheless it is not considered a later authority relative to him, neither for leniency nor for stringency, since its rulings are based on those of the Vilna Gaon."
↑ ^2.0 ^2.1 Beis Moshiach, erev Rosh Hashanah 5762.
↑ Preface to the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe, Kehot edition 5745, and footnote 2 there.
↑ Based on an interview with the three editors, shulchanharav.com.
↑ Siach Zekeinim (Ashri), vol. 1, p. 347.
↑ Siach Zekeinim, vol. 4.
↑ Migdal Oz, p. 92, note 24.
↑ Responsa Divrei Chaim, vol. 2, Yoreh Deah, end of responsum 3.
↑ Yafeh Sichosom by Rabbi Elchanan Heilprin, p. 89, in the name of Rabbi Gedalya Hertz, rosh yeshiva of the Chiddushei HaRim Yeshiva in Tel Aviv.
↑ From a letter of the Sfas Emes.
↑ The Admor of Talna quoting the Beis Yisroel of Gur, at a scholarship distribution celebration, 5762 (2001–02).
↑ The Admor of Gur, the Pnei Menachem, in an interview in Kfar Chabad, issue 97, p. 12.
↑ Responsa Imrei Yosher, vol. 2, responsum 137.
↑ ^14.0 ^14.1 Told by R' Tuvia Bloy, in an interview in HaMevaser — Kehillos, issue 352.
↑ Signatories included the author of the Shevet HaLevi, the Admor of Belz, Rabbi Nissim Karelitz, the Admor of Sanz, the Admor of Vizhnitz, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, the Admor of Erloy, the Rosh Yeshiva of Ponevezh Rabbi Boruch Dov Povarsky, the Admor of Machnivka-Belz, the Admor of Lelov, the Admor of Toldos Avraham Yitzchak, the Admor of Toldos Aharon, the Gaavad of the Edah HaChareidis, and others.
↑ ^16.0 ^16.1 Sicha of 20 Menachem Av 5718 (1958).
↑ Sicha of 6 Tishrei 5747 (1986).

[darchei-harav-1] In the book Darchei HaRav on the laws of Chanukah by Rabbi Yoel HaLevi Meller, the author writes in his introduction (p. 15): "As I merited hearing many times from my teacher and father-in-law… the holy Rabbi Shraga Feivish Hager of Kosov of blessed memory… that the Shulchan Aruch HaRav is the final authority for all Chassidic communities — and although the Mishnah Berurah was written after the Tanya's author, nevertheless it is not considered a later authority relative to him, neither for leniency nor for stringency, since its rulings are based on those of the Vilna Gaon."

[beis-moshiach-2] 2.0 ^2.1 Beis Moshiach, erev Rosh Hashanah 5762.

[kehot-preface-3] Preface to the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe, Kehot edition 5745, and footnote 2 there.

[editors-interview-4] Based on an interview with the three editors, shulchanharav.com.

[siach-zekeinim-1-5] Siach Zekeinim (Ashri), vol. 1, p. 347.

[siach-zekeinim-4-6] Siach Zekeinim, vol. 4.

[migdal-oz-7] Migdal Oz, p. 92, note 24.

[divrei-chaim-8] Responsa Divrei Chaim, vol. 2, Yoreh Deah, end of responsum 3.

[yafeh-sichosom-9] Yafeh Sichosom by Rabbi Elchanan Heilprin, p. 89, in the name of Rabbi Gedalya Hertz, rosh yeshiva of the Chiddushei HaRim Yeshiva in Tel Aviv.

[sfas-emes-letter-10] From a letter of the Sfas Emes.

[talna-address-11] The Admor of Talna quoting the Beis Yisroel of Gur, at a scholarship distribution celebration, 5762 (2001–02).

[pnei-menachem-interview-12] The Admor of Gur, the Pnei Menachem, in an interview in Kfar Chabad, issue 97, p. 12.

[imrei-yosher-13] Responsa Imrei Yosher, vol. 2, responsum 137.

[bloy-interview-14] 14.0 ^14.1 Told by R' Tuvia Bloy, in an interview in HaMevaser — Kehillos, issue 352.

[gedolim-5773-15] Signatories included the author of the Shevet HaLevi, the Admor of Belz, Rabbi Nissim Karelitz, the Admor of Sanz, the Admor of Vizhnitz, Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky, the Admor of Erloy, the Rosh Yeshiva of Ponevezh Rabbi Boruch Dov Povarsky, the Admor of Machnivka-Belz, the Admor of Lelov, the Admor of Toldos Avraham Yitzchak, the Admor of Toldos Aharon, the Gaavad of the Edah HaChareidis, and others.

[sicha-tshchei-16] 16.0 ^16.1 Sicha of 20 Menachem Av 5718 (1958).

[sicha-tshchei-2-17] Sicha of 6 Tishrei 5747 (1986).

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