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Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried

Rabbi Shlomo Ganzfried (Solomon ben Joseph Ganzfried; Hungary, 1804 to 1886) was a Haredi Orthodox rabbi and posek best known as author of the work of Halakha (Jewish law), the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (Hebrew: קיצור שולחן ערוך, "The Abbreviated Shulchan Aruch"), by which title he is also known.

Ganzfried was born in Uzhhorod (Ungvar) in the Carpathian region of the Habsburg Empire (now Ukraine). His father Joseph died when he was eight. Ganzfried was considered to be a child prodigy and Ungvar's chief rabbi and Rosh yeshiva, Rabbi Zvi Hirsh Heller assumed legal guardianship; Heller was known as "Hershele the Sharp-witted" for his piercing insights into the Talmud. Heller later moved to the city of Bonyhád, and Ganzfried, then fifteen, followed him. He remained in Heller's yeshiva for almost a decade until his ordination and marriage. After his marriage he worked briefly as a wine-merchant.

In 1843 he abandoned commerce and accepted the position of rabbi of Brezevitz [1]. In 1849, he returned to Ungvar as a dayan, a judge in the religious court.

At that time Ungvar's spiritual head, Rabbi Meir Ash, was active in the Orthodox camp, in opposition to the Neologs. Through serving with Ash, Ganzfried realised that in order to remain committed to Orthodoxy, "the average Jew required an underpinning of a knowledge of practical halakha (Jewish law)". It was to this end that Ganzfried composed the Kitzur Shulchan Aruch; it is not polemical in nature and was clearly intended to inform, rather than to argue.

The Kitzur Shulchan Aruch in effect summarises the Shulchan Aruch of Joseph Karo with reference to all subsequent commentaries and incorporating Jewish Hungarian customs up to the 19th century. The title page of the first edition is instructive, "[the book] is written for God-fearing Jews who are not in a position to study and comprehend the (original full) Shulchan Aruch and its commentaries, and is composed in a Hebrew that can be easily understood." The Kitzur states what is permitted and what forbidden without ambiguity.

To determine a ruling, Ganzfried based his decisions on three halakhic authorities: Rabbi Jacob of Lissa; Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the first rebbe of Chabad Lubavitch, author of the Shulchan Aruch HaRav; and Rabbi Abraham Danzig, author of Chayei Adam and Chochmat Adam. In cases of disagreement he adopted the majority view. This closely mirrors the method Karo used in composing his Shulchan Aruch; his three main decisors were Rabbi Isaac Alfasi, Maimonides and Rabbi Asher ben Jehiel.

This work was explicitly written as a popular text and as such does not include all the details of the Shulchan Aruch itself, while generally following its structure. It became immensely popular after its publication due to its simplicity. It is still popular within Orthodox Judaism, as a framework for study, if not always for practice. Today, thousands participate in the Kitzur Yomi ("daily Kitzur") study program.

Because of this popularity it is often printed with cross-references to other works of halakha, especially the Shulchan Aruch HaRav and the Mishnah Berurah; one popular edition also contains notes by former Chief Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu cross-referring to leading Sephardi authorities. Many editions include as an appendix the laws pertaining to the Land of Israel by the Chazon Ish (Rabbi Avraham Yeshaya Karelitz). A recent commentary is Shearim Metzuyanim be-Halakhah, by Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Braun, which examines contemporary problems in the light of the work. Ganzfried himself, however, stated that there should be no commentaries on his work, since its point, as indicated by its title, was that it should remain short - and that such commentaries should be appended to the Shulchan Arukh itself, rather than to the Kitzur.

• Kesses HaSofer, a halachic primer for scribes published in 1835. Ganzfried composed this while he was still engaged in business.
• Pnei Shlomo, an elucidation of portions of the Talmud.
• Toras Zevach, a halakhic handbook for practitioners of shechita, ritual slaughter.

• Similar works:
  • Chayei Adam and Chochmat Adam by Avraham Danzig (Poland, 1748-1820) similar Ashkenazi works.
  • Ben Ish Chai by Yosef Chaim (Baghdad, 1832 - 1909) a similar Sephardi work.
  • "Kitzur Shulchan Aruch", a similar Sephardi work by Rabbi Raphael Baruch Toledano.
  • "Kitzur Shulchan Aruch Mekor Hayyim", a similar Sephardi work by Rabbi Hayim David HaLevi.
  • The volumes entitled "Kitzur Shulchan Aruch" from Yalkut Yosef, a similar Sephardi work.

References

• Rabbi Ganzfried's two million Kitzurs, Jack E. Friedman
• Ganzfried, Solomon, jewishencyclopedia.com
• What is the Kitzur Shulkhan Arukh?, faqs.org

Translations

• Kitzur Shulchan Aruch. Metsudah Publications. Includes footnotes with Mishnah Berurah; most commonly used English-Hebrew edition; two volumes.
• Code of Jewish Law. Hebrew Publishing Co. (Transl. Hyman Goldin c. 1927.) ISBN 0-88482-779-8
• Kitzur Schulchan Oruch. Moznaim Publishing Corp, 1991. ISBN 0-940118-63-7

Fulltext resources

• Hebrew Full-text, shofar.net (note: single, very large webpage)
• Kitzur.net, follows the Kitzur Yomi schedule; fully searchable
• Translation
  • Chapters grouped by theme, torah.org
  • Ch 1-97 Ch 98-221, Yona Newman
  • Kicur Shulhan Aruh (Russian), chassidus.ru
  • Kicur Shulhan Aruh (Russian), Jewish.ru
  • Kitsoer Sjoelchan Aroech (Dutch), hoor-Israel.org