Shlomo Ganzfried

Shlomo Ganzfried (1804 to 1886) was an Orthodox Judaism rabbi who lived in Hungary best known as the author of the work on Halakha (Jewish law), the Kitzur Shulkhan Arukh (in Hebrew: "Abbreviated Shulkhan Arukh"), by which name he is also know to scholars of Judaism.

Biography

Ganzfried was born in Uzhhorod (Ungvar) in the Carpathian region of the Hapsburg Empire. His father 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 Boniad, 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. 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 (followers of Reform Judaism). 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 Shulkhan Arukh; it is not polemical in nature and was clearly intended to inform, rather than to argue.

Works

Kitzur Shulkhan Arukh

The Kitzur Shulkhan Arukh in effect summarises the Shulkhan Arukh of Joseph Karo with reference to all subsequent commentaries (see also Chayei Adam) 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) Shulkhan Arukh 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. In cases of disagreement he adopted the majority view. This closely mirrors the method Karo used in composing his Shulkhan Arukh; 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 follow the structure of the Shulkhan Arukh itself; it is thus not considered binding in the same way. 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. Because of this popularity it is often printed with cross-references to other works of halakha, the Mishnah Berurah and the Shulchan Aruch HaRav. 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.

Other works

• Ganzfried published his first book, Kesset HaSofer, a halakhic primer for scribes in 1835. He composed this while he was still engaged in business.
• Ganzfried also wrote Pnei Shlomo, an elucidation of portions of the Talmud and
• Torat Zevach, a halakhic handbook for practitioners of shechita, ritual slaughter.

External links

References

• Rabbi Ganzfried's two million Kitzurs, Jack E. Friedman

Resources

• Hebrew Full-text, shofar.net (note: single, very large webpage)
• Translation
  • Chapters grouped by theme, torah.org
  • Linear Translation, Yona Newman
    • Chapters 1–97
    • Chapters 98–221
• Russian Translation
  • Kicur Shulhan Aruh, chassidus.ru
  • Kicur Shulhan Aruh, jewish.ru