#198: Rabbi Yosef Karo I: The Story behind the Shulchan Aruch

About this episode

This episode explores the life and impact of Rabbi Yosef Karo, focusing on his creation of the Shulchan Aruch amidst the challenges of 16th century Jewish life.

Join our WhatsApp group for weekly exclusive content: https://chat.whatsapp.com/FEgoaCOQoyU2VX49SwA8Aw?s=cl&p=a&ilr=4 This 2-part series discovers the dramatic life of Rabbi Yosef Karo, which was lived far beyond the pages of his famous legal code, the Shulchan Aruch. Born into the upheaval of the 1492 Spanish Expulsion, he fled across borders from Lisbon to Cairo to Greece and eventually to Eretz Yisrael and was instructed by a spiritual maggid. But the 16th century of mass migrations threatened to fracture Jewish tradition into "countless Torahs". So he embarked on a monumental mission to write a master legal framework and unite the diaspora, which fundamentally reshaped our lives. His story included an attempt to hasten the Messianic era, that led to him being banned from the main synagogue of Tzfas and a son born to him in his old age. Timestamps: 00:00 Intro & dedication 02:20 Who was Rabbi Yosef Karo? 05:57 Tzfas: The rise of a holy city 16:46 Karo’s authority in Tzfas 21:08 What was Smicha and why revive it? 26:25 The 1538 Smicha controversy 35:44 Challenges to reviving Smicha 40:57 Rabbi Yosef Karo and Smicha 45:29 Why Karo wrote the Beis Yosef & Shulchan…

People in this episode

Host: JLE

Topics covered

• Rabbi Yosef Karo
• Shulchan Aruch
• Jewish tradition
• 16th century migrations
• Smicha controversy
• Jewish law
• Messianic era

Keywords

• Rabbi Yosef Karo
• Shulchan Aruch
• Jewish law
• Smicha
• Jewish tradition
• 16th century
• Tzfas
• Beis Yosef
• Tur
• Messianic era

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: Shulchan Aruch, Beis Yosef, Tur

Places: Lisbon, Cairo, Greece, Eretz Yisrael, Tzfas

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