If there is one book that every observant Jew in the world follows, whether they know it or not, it is the Shulchan Aruch. Written by Rabbi Joseph Caro in Safed in the 1560s, it codified Jewish law into a single, organized reference that became the authoritative guide for daily life, from how to pray to how to do business to what to eat. And the man who wrote it was, by any measure, one of the most remarkable scholars in Jewish history.
From Spain to Safed
Caro was born in Toledo, Spain, in 1488, just four years before the expulsion. His family fled to Portugal, then to the Ottoman Empire, where Caro spent decades studying, teaching, and writing. He arrived in Safed around 1536, already one of the most respected rabbinical authorities in the world, and spent the rest of his life there.
The Shulchan Aruch
The Shulchan Aruch, meaning “Set Table,” was Caro’s masterwork. It organized the vast body of Jewish law into four clear sections covering daily life, Shabbat and holidays, family law, and civil law. The genius of the work was its accessibility. Previous legal codes were written for scholars. The Shulchan Aruch was written for everyone.
Within decades of its publication, the Shulchan Aruch became the standard reference for Jewish communities worldwide. It remains so today, over 450 years later. When a rabbi anywhere in the world is asked a question about Jewish law, the first place they look is the Shulchan Aruch.
Caro’s Synagogue
The synagogue in Safed associated with Rabbi Joseph Caro is one of the most visited sites in the old city. Tradition holds that Caro studied and prayed here, and the synagogue maintains an atmosphere of quiet devotion that connects visitors to the man who wrote the book that shaped Jewish life worldwide.
Visit with Hoshen Tours
Hoshen Tours includes the Caro Synagogue in Safed itineraries that bring the 16th-century golden age to life, connecting the scholar, the city, and the work that changed Judaism.