The Ketzos HaChoshen (;

Ashkenazi Hebrew Ashkenazi Hebrew (, ) is the pronunciation system for Biblical and Mishnaic Hebrew favored for Jewish liturgical use and Torah study by Ashkenazi Jewish practice. Features As it is used parallel with Modern Hebrew, its phonological differences a ...

) is a major writing by

Aryeh Leib Heller Aryeh Leib Kahana Heller ( 1745 – 1812) () was a Rabbi, Talmudist, and Halachist in Galicia. He was known as "The ''Ketzos''" based on his magnum opus, '' Ketzot Hachoshen (''). Biography Born about 1745 in the Galician town of Kalush (pr ...

(1745–1812) and the origin of his nickname, "the Ketzos". Its first printing was in

Lviv Lviv ( or ; ; ; see #Names and symbols, below for other names) is the largest city in western Ukraine, as well as the List of cities in Ukraine, fifth-largest city in Ukraine, with a population of It serves as the administrative centre of ...

Importance

The ''Ketzos HaChoshen'' is a

halakhic ''Halakha'' ( ; , ), also transliterated as ''halacha'', ''halakhah'', and ''halocho'' ( ), is the collective body of Jewish religious laws that are derived from the Written and Oral Torah. ''Halakha'' is based on biblical commandments (''mitzv ...

work that explains difficult passages in the ''

Shulchan Aruch The ''Shulhan Arukh'' ( ),, often called "the Code of Jewish Law", is the most widely consulted of the various legal codes in Rabbinic Judaism. It was authored in the city of Safed in what is now Israel by Joseph Karo in 1563 and published in ...

'', ''

Choshen Mishpat ''Choshen Mishpat'' (Hebrew: חושן משפט) is the Hebrew for "Breastplate of Judgement". The term is associated with one of the four sections of Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation of halakha (Jewish law), Arba'ah Turim. This section treats a ...

'' (which deals mainly with business and financial laws such as contracts, witnesses, etc.) with novel ideas proposed by Aryeh Leib. Familiarity with this work is considered mandatory for any

Torah The Torah ( , "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. The Torah is also known as the Pentateuch () ...

scholar or Dayan. It is customarily studied in conjunction with the ''Nesivos HaMishpat'' of

Yaakov Lorberbaum Jacob Lorberbaum or Jacob ben Jacob Moses of Lissa (1760-1832) , Hebrew: יעקב בן יעקב משה מליסא) was a rabbi and posek. He is most commonly known as the Ba'al HaChavas Da'as or the Ba'al HaNesivos for his most well-known works, ...

, who often controverted Heller's conclusions on many points. The Ketzos's sefer is often published in tandem with his brother Yehuda Heller Kahana's book, ''Kuntras HaSfeikos'', as a two-volume set.

Importance

References

Further reading