Orach Chayim, (''manner/way of life'') is a section of
Rabbi
A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...
Jacob ben Asher's compilation of
Halakha
''Halakha'' (; he, הֲלָכָה, ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws which is derived from the written and Oral Torah. Halakha is based on biblical commandm ...
(Jewish law),
Arba'ah Turim.
This section addresses aspects of Jewish law pertinent to the
Hebrew calendar
The Hebrew calendar ( he, הַלּוּחַ הָעִבְרִי, translit=HaLuah HaIvri), also called the Jewish calendar, is a lunisolar calendar used today for Jewish religious observance, and as an official calendar of the state of Israel ...
(be it the daily, weekly, monthly, or annual calendar). Rabbi
Yosef Karo modeled the framework of the ''
Shulkhan Arukh
The ''Shulchan Aruch'' ( he, שֻׁלְחָן עָרוּך , literally: "Set Table"), sometimes dubbed in English as the Code of Jewish Law, is the most widely consulted of the various legal codes in Judaism. It was authored in Safed (today in ...
'' (שולחן ערוך), his own compilation of practical Jewish law, after the ''Arba'ah Turim.''
Many later commentators used this framework, as well. Thus, ''Orach Chayim'' in common usage may refer to another area of halakha, separate from Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation.
Orach Chayim deals with, but is not limited to:
*Washing the hands in the morning,
*
Tefillin
Tefillin (; Modern Hebrew language, Israeli Hebrew: / ; Ashkenazim, Ashkenazic pronunciation: ), or phylacteries, are a set of small black leather boxes with leather straps containing scrolls of parchment inscribed with verses from the Torah. Te ...
*
Tzitzit
''Tzitzit'' ( he, ''ṣīṣīṯ'', ; plural ''ṣīṣiyyōṯ'', Ashkenazi: '; and Samaritan: ') are specially knotted ritual fringes, or tassels, worn in antiquity by Israelites and today by observant Jews and Samaritans. are usual ...
(ritual fringes),
*
Prayer
Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport with an object of worship through deliberate communication. In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication or intercession directed towards a deity or a deifie ...
,
*
Sabbath,
*
Festivals
A festival is an event ordinarily celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, mela, or eid. A festival ...
,
*
Torah reading
Torah reading (; ') is a Jewish religious tradition that involves the public reading of a set of passages from a Torah scroll. The term often refers to the entire ceremony of removing the scroll (or scrolls) from the Torah ark, chanting th ...
in
synagogue.
Commentaries on the Shulchan Aruch - Orach Chayim
* Taz (Turei Zohov) - by Rabbi
David HaLevi Segal
* Magen Avraham - by Rabbi
Avraham Gombiner
* Biur HaGra - by the
Vilna Gaon
* Pri Megadim - by Rabbi
Joseph ben Meir Teomim
Joseph ben Meir Teomim (1727–1792; Hebrew: יוסף בן מאיר תאומים) was a Galician rabbi born at Lemberg. While still young he succeeded his father in the position of preacher and rabbinical instructor in the yeshivah of Lemberg. ...
*
Mishnah Berurah - by Rabbi
Yisrael Meir Kagan
* Tor Bareket - by Rabbi
Chaim HaKohen of Aram
Zobah (
Aleppo)
''Maginei Eretz''
Maginei Eretz was the first edition of the Orach Chaim, published with the commentaries Magen David and Magen Avraham on either side of the main text. This format has been maintained and today is the standard format for the Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim. The name "Maginei Eretz" translates as "shields of the earth," a quote from Psalms 47:10 ("... for the shields of the earth belong to God: He is greatly exalted.")
The Magen David was written by Rabbi
David HaLevi Segal and has since been referred to as the "Taz" (The abbreviation for Turei Zahav), for consistency with Segal's commentary on the
Yoreh Deah section of the Shulchan Aruch.
The Magen Avraham was written by Rabbi
Avraham Gombiner. The Maginei Eretz was published by his son, Chaim, following his father's death.
See also
The other three sections of Arba'ah Turim and other works borrowing its organizational scheme are:
*
Yoreh De'ah
*
Choshen Mishpat
*
Even HaEzer
Bibliography
Chabad.org article on Rabbi David Halevi Segal
References
External links
* Link to the Orach Chayim o
Sefaria
Hebrew edition online
Rabbinic legal texts and responsa
Hebrew-language religious books
Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish law
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