Arba'ah Turim (ארבעה טורים), often called simply the Tur, is an important Halakhic code, composed by Yaakov ben Asher (Spain, 1270 -c.1340, also referred to as "Ba'al ha-Turim", "Author of the Tur"). The four-part structure of the Tur and its division into chapters (simanim) were adopted by the later code Shulchan Arukh. Halakha (Hebrew: הלכה; also transliterated as Halakhah, Halacha, Halakhot and Halachah with pronunciation emphasis on the third syllable, kha), is the collective corpus of Jewish religious law, including biblical law (the 613 mitzvot) and later talmudic and rabbinic law as well as customs and traditions. ... Halakha (Hebrew: הלכה; also transliterated as Halakhah, Halacha, Halakhot and Halachah with pronunciation emphasis on the third syllable, kha), is the collective corpus of Jewish religious law, including biblical law (the 613 mitzvot) and later talmudic and rabbinic law as well as customs and traditions. ... Jacob ben Asher, in Hebrew Yaakov ben Asher, (1270-ca 1340) was an influential Medieval rabbinic authority. ... For broader historical context, see 1270s and 13th century. ... Events Europe has about 74 million inhabitants. ... Jacob ben Asher, in Hebrew Yaakov ben Asher, (1270-ca 1340) was an influential Medieval rabbinic authority. ... The Shulkhan Arukh (Hebrew: שולחן ערוך, literally:Set Table), by Rabbi Yosef Karo is considered the most authoritative compilation of Jewish law since the Talmud. ...

Meaning of the name

The title of the work in Hebrew means "four rows", in allusion to the jewels on the High Priest's breastplate. Each of the four divisions of the work is a "Tur", so a particular passage may be cited as "Tur Orach Chayim, siman 22", meaning "Orach Chayim division, chapter 22". This was later misunderstood as meaning "Tur, Orach Chayim, chapter 22" (to distinguish it from the corresponding passage in the Shulchan Arukh), so that "Tur" came to be used as the title of the whole work.^[1] “Hebrew” redirects here. ... It has been suggested that Aaronites be merged into this article or section. ... It has been suggested that Aaronites be merged into this article or section. ... The Shulkhan Arukh (Hebrew: שולחן ערוך, literally:Set Table), by Rabbi Yosef Karo is considered the most authoritative compilation of Jewish law since the Talmud. ...

Arrangement and contents

The Arba'ah Turim, as the name implies, consists of four divisions ("Turim"); these are further organised by topic and section (siman, pl. simanim). ^[2]

The four Turim are as follows:

• Orach Chayim - laws of prayer and synagogue, Sabbath, holidays
• Yoreh De'ah - miscellaneous ritualistic laws, such as shechita and kashrut
• Even Ha'ezer - laws of marriage, divorce
• Choshen Mishpat - laws of finance, financial responsibility, damages (personal and financial) and legal procedure

In the Arba'ah Turim, Ben Asher traces the practical Jewish law from the Torah text and the dicta of the Talmud through the Rishonim. He used the code of Rabbi Isaac Alfasi as his starting point; these views are then compared to those of Maimonides, as well as to the Ashkenazi traditions contained in the Tosafist literature. Unlike Maimonides' Mishneh Torah, the Tur is not limited to normative positions, but compares the various opinions on any disputed point. (In most instances of debate, Rabbi Jacob follows the opinion of his father, Rabbi Asher ben Jehiel, the Rosh.) The Arba'ah Turim also differs from the Mishneh Torah, in that, unlike Maimonides' work, it deals only with areas of Jewish law that are applicable in the Jewish exile. Orach Chayim is a section of Rabbi Jacob ben Ashers compilation of Jewish Law, Arbaah Turim, that treats all aspects of Jewish Law primarily pertinent to the Jewish calendar (whether the daily, weekly, monthly, or annual calendar). ... A synagogue (from Ancient Greek: , transliterated synagogē, assembly; Hebrew: ‎ beit knesset, house of assembly; Yiddish: , shul; Ladino: , esnoga) is a Jewish place of religious worship. ... It has been suggested that this article or section be merged into Sabbath. ... Yoreh Deah is a section of Rabbi Jacob ben Ashers compilation of halakha (Jewish law), Arbaah Turim. ... Shechita Shechita (Hebrew:שחיטה) is the ritual slaughter of animals, as prescribed for slaughter of mammals and birds according to Jewish dietary laws. ... Look up kosher in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Even Haezer is a section of Rabbi Jacob ben Ashers compilation of halakha (Jewish law), Arbaah Turim. ... Judaism considers marriage to be the ideal state of existence; a man without a wife, or a woman without a husband, are considered incomplete. ... Choshen Mishpat is a section of Rabbi Jacob ben Ashers compilation of halakha (Jewish law), Arbaah Turim. ... Posek (Hebrew פוסק, IPA: , pl. ... Tora redirects here. ... The first page of the Vilna Edition of the Babylonian Talmud, Tractate Berachot, folio 2a The Talmud (Hebrew: תלמוד) is a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, customs and history. ... Rishonim (ראשונים Hebrew - sing. ... Rabbi Isaac ben Jacob Alfasi (1013 - 1103) - also Isaac Hakohen, Alfasi or the Rif (ריף) - was a Talmudist and posek (decisor in matters of halakha - Jewish law). ... Commonly used image indicating one artists conception of Maimonidess appearance Maimonides (March 30, 1135 or 1138–December 13, 1204) was a Jewish rabbi, physician, and philosopher in Spain and Egypt during the Middle Ages. ... Ashkenazi Jews, also known as Ashkenazic Jews or Ashkenazim (אַשְׁכֲּנָזִי אַשְׁכֲּנָזִים Standard Hebrew, Aškanazi,Aškanazim, Tiberian Hebrew, ʾAškănāzî, ʾAškănāzîm, pronounced sing. ... Tosafists were medieval rabbis who collected commentaries on the Talmud, and appear in virtually every edition since it was first printed. ... The Mishneh Torah or Yad ha-Chazaka is a code of Jewish law by one of the most important Jewish authorities, Rabbi Moshe ben Maimon, better known as Maimonides or by the Hebrew abbreviation RaMBaM (usually written Rambam in English). ... In philosophy, normative is usually contrasted with positive, descriptive or explanatory when describing types of theories, beliefs, or statements. ... Asher ben Jehiel (or Rabeinu Osher ben Yechiel) (1250? 1259?-1328), an eminent rabbi and Talmudist often known by his Hebrew acronym the ROSH (literally Head), was born in western Germany and died in Toledo, Spain. ... For other uses, see Jew (disambiguation). ... The term: diaspora (in Greek, διασπορά – a scattering or sowing of seeds) is used (without capitalization) to refer to any people or ethnic population forced or induced to leave their traditional ethnic homelands; being dispersed throughout other parts of the world, and the ensuing developments in their dispersal and culture. ...

Later developments

The best-known commentary on the Arba'ah Turim is the Beit Yosef by Rabbi Joseph Caro: this goes beyond the normal functions of a commentary, in that it attempts to review all the relevant authorities and come to a final decision on every point, so as to constitute a comprehensive resource on Jewish law. Other commentaries are Bayit Chadash by Rabbi Yoel Sirkis, Darkhei Moshe by Moses Isserles, Beit Yisrael (Perishah u-Derishah) by Joshua Falk, as well as works by a number of other Acharonim. These often defend the views of ben Asher against Caro. The Shulkhan Arukh (Hebrew: שולחן ערוך, literally:Set Table), by Rabbi Yosef Karo is considered the most authoritative compilation of Jewish law since the Talmud. ... Yosef Caro (1488 - March 24, 1575) was one of the most significant leaders in Rabbinic Judaism and the author of the Shulchan Arukh, an authoritative work on Halakhah (Jewish law). ... Yoel Sirkis (1561-1640) was a rabbi and halakhist (Authority on Jewish law) known to scholars of Judaism. ... Moses Isserles (or Moshe Isserlis) (1530 - 1572), was a rabbi and Talmudist, best known for his fundamental work of halakha (Jewish law), titled the Mapah (HaMapah), a component of the Shulkhan Arukh; he is also well known for Darkhei Moshe, a commentary on the Tur. ... Rabbi Joshua Falk (ben Alexander HaCohen Katz, 1555 - 1614) was a Halakhist and Talmudist, best known as the author of the Beit Yisrael commentary on the Arbaah Turim as well as Sefer Meirat Enayim on Shulkhan Arukh. ... Acharonim (Hebrew - sing. ...

The Tur continues to play an important role in Halakha.

• Joseph Karo's Shulchan Arukh, the fundamental work of Halakha, is a condensation of his Beit Yosef and follows the basic structure of the Arba'ah Turim, including its division into four sections and chapters - Tur's structure down to the siman is retained in the Shulchan Arukh.
• The views in the other commentaries are often relevant in ascertaining or explaining the Ashkenazi version of Jewish law, as codified by Moses Isserles in his Mappah.

Students of the Shulchan Arukh, particularly in Orthodox Semicha programs, often study the Tur and the Beit Yosef concurrently with the Shulchan Arukh itself: in some editions the two works are printed together, with the Tur occupying one half of each page and the corresponding passage of the Shulchan Arukh occupying the other. The Shulkhan Arukh (Hebrew: שולחן ערוך, literally:Set Table), by Rabbi Yosef Karo is considered the most authoritative compilation of Jewish law since the Talmud. ... Halakha (Hebrew: הלכה; also transliterated as Halakhah, Halacha, Halakhot and Halachah with pronunciation emphasis on the third syllable, kha), is the collective corpus of Jewish religious law, including biblical law (the 613 mitzvot) and later talmudic and rabbinic law as well as customs and traditions. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... Semicha (Hebrew: ‎, leaning [of the hands]), also semichut (Hebrew: ‎, ordination), or semicha lerabbanut (Hebrew: ‎, rabbinical ordination) 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. ...

See also

• 613 mitzvot

Main article: Mitzvah 613 Mitzvot or 613 Commandments (Hebrew: ‎ transliterated as Taryag mitzvot; TaRYaG is the acronym for the numeric value of 613) are a list of commandments from God in the Torah. ...

References

• Arba'ah Turim, Prof. Eliezer Segal

1. ^ Cf. the analogous back-formation "Chumash".
2. ^ The Shulchan Arukh contains a further division by paragraph (sa'if, pl. se'ifim), which is incorporated into some editions of the Arba'ah Turim to enable point-by-point comparison.