Joseph ben Ephraim Karo

Joseph ben Ephraim Karo ( * 1488, † March 24, 1575 in Safed ) was a rabbi and kabbalist. He is the author of the Shulchan Aruch.

Life

The birthplace of diamonds is not completely clear. He was probably born in Toledo, but it is also possible that his family before the expulsion of the Jews from Spain moved to Portugal and he was born there. What is certain is that the family fled in 1497 after the expulsion of the Jews from Portugal in the Ottoman Empire, where Karo lived first in Istanbul and then in Adrian Opel, Nikopol and Thessaloniki the next 40 years. He studied first with his father, Ephraim, who was a learned Talmud connoisseur himself. In 1522 he began writing his magnum opus Bet Josef and moved in 1536 to Safed in the Holy Land, after he had previously resided probably some time in Egypt. He then studied with Jacob Berab and was named after his leaving in 1538 head of the Jewish community and the Beth Din of Safed. Here Karo was also director of a large yeshiva. A contemporary traveler reported that his local lectures were attended by over 200 students. He wrote hundreds of Responsa on halachic questions that were brought to him from all over the Diaspora, and devoted himself next to the needs of the community. He was married at least three times and called his three fathers- each as mori ("my teacher"). His grave in Safed is still to be seen. Among his most important students included Moses Cordovero.

Halachic works

Karo is indeed famous as the author of the Shulchan Aruch, which is of global importance today in Orthodox Judaism, but this work represents his own words, only a summary of the Bet Josef ( "House of Joseph ") that, with whose writing he 1522 Adrian Opel began and 20 years of constantly working on it. He finished "Bet Josef" in Safed in 1542, the first volume was not published until 1555. In its introduction, the author explains the meaning and purpose of his work: the variety of halachic sources of law and the various rites in different churches had led over the centuries to chaos. Karo made ​​a mental note to check every law on its origin in the Talmud down to bring different views and finally to arrive at a final decision. He decided to write no independent work, " so as not to have to repeat what my predecessors have already written ", but an already existing Code add a comment. He first thought of Mishneh Torah of Maimonides, but then dismissed the idea as Maimonides defines halachic rules without mentioning opposing views. Finally, he decided on the Arba'a Turim of Jacob ben Asher, " which reflects the opinions of most poskim ( authorities ) ".

The Shulchan Aruch, the summary of the Bet Josef, has grown over the years by numerous comments on a multi-volume work, but was initially kept very short. The title page of the sixth edition, pocket-sized (Venice 1574 ) contained the Note, this format was chosen " to carry it with them can so that it can be pulled at any time and any place to rate, even during the suspension or on Travel. "the Shulhan Arukh composed exclusively of statutory material and contains neither Haggadic, ie legendary Bays nor moral or metayphische discussions, such as on the attributes of God or Jewish ethics.

Another halachic work of Karo is Kesef Mishneh (Venice, 1574-75 ), a commentary on the 14 - volume work Mishneh Torah of Maimonides, whose commentary by Joseph Vidal, a Spanish scholar of the 14th century, started but did not finish had done. Karos comment includes the eight volumes that have not been processed by Vidal.

Karo as Kabbalist

Like other leading rabbis of his time was also check a Kabbalist. Kabbalistic circles already existed in Salonika and Adrian Opel before Safed became the center of kabbalistic doctrine and piety. At Karos Kabbalistic acquaintances included Moses Cordovero, the Karo as his " master " referred to, and Shlomo Alkabez. In this circuit, Kabbalah was not merely speculative theology; many members experienced personal mystical experiences. Karo himself believed that he - was of a heavenly mentor, a Maggid, sought, which revealed to him Kabbalistic teachings and prophecies as well as rules for his personal ascetic life - generally at night. This Maggid manifested itself in the form of " automatic speech", ie a voice from Karos mouth that could be heard by others. Solomon Alkabez reported such a phenomenon in a letter that in Karos house, probably in Nikopol, describes a learning event on the night of Shavuot. These nocturnal experiences no trance was in the game, because Karo remembered in arrears to the embassies and listed them in a kind of mystical diary. A small part of this diary is preserved in manuscript and printed under the title Maggid Mescharim ( first complete edition: Amsterdam, 1708). Attempts to question the authorship of this work by Karo, were mainly based on the prejudice that an author whose halachic works are marked by a legal reason, could not possibly have experienced such mystical states. However, the authenticity of this book can be no doubt.

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