The Chabad Chasidic movement is, perhaps, more known for its advancement of the study of Chasidic philosophy and the Chasidic way of life, than its innovations in the field Jewish law and custom. Indeed, R. Schneur Zalman is known not only as the author of Tanya (the written Torah of Chasidism) but as the author of the Shulchan Aruch. To many of his contemporaries and in successive generations, he is known simply as “the Rav.”
As his right hand man and associate in all matters of leadership and scholarship, esoteric to the exoteric, as architect helping to shape the structure of the Chabad movement and as chief editor of his brother’s works--R Yehuda Leib had strong influence on the direction and form the fledgling Chabad Lubavitch movement would take.
Important Halakhic Tome Published by Kehot
Kehot Publication Society, the Lubavitch publishing house, has announced the publication of an important halakhic text: She’erit Yehuda, by Rabbi Yehuda Leib of Yanovitch, brother of the founder of Chabad Lubavitch—Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi.
The Chabad Chasidic movement is, perhaps, more known for its advancement of the study of Chasidic philosophy and the Chasidic way of life, than its innovations in the field Jewish law and custom. Indeed, R. Schneur Zalman is known not only as the author of Tanya (the written Torah of Chasidism) but as the author of the Shulchan Aruch. To many of his contemporaries and in successive generations, he is known simply as “the Rav.”
As his right hand man and associate in all matters of leadership and scholarship, esoteric to the exoteric, as architect helping to shape the structure of the Chabad movement and as chief editor of his brother’s works–R Yehuda Leib had strong influence on the direction and form the fledgling Chabad Lubavitch movement would take.
In She’erit Yehuda, R. Yehuda Leib is revealed as an erudite and towering halakhic genius. Displaying extraordinary familiarity with the entire body of Jewish law and jurisprudence, he peppers his responsa with novel insights, and codifies complex issues in clear, definitive rulings.
According to Rabbi Yosef B. Friedman of Kehot, a team of scholars, headed by Chabad scholar and editor Rabbi Shalom B. Levine, researched the vast manuscript archive at the Central Chabad Library and Archive Center, adding many heretofore unpublished manuscripts to this new edition (the last edition was published some 50 years ago).
In addition, Rabbi Levine and Chabad researcher Rabbi Yitzchak Wilhelm annotated the text, adding synopses, glosses indexes. The volume’s esthetically pleasing exterior matches the riches of its contents, as well.
The publication of She’erit Yehuda completes a multi-year program by Rabbi Levine in which he and his team annotated the complete Shulchan Aruch of R. Schneur Zalman, preparing it to print, for Kehot, in a completely new and expanded edition.
She’erit Yehuda is available online at http://store.kehotonline.com/index.php?stocknumber=HL-SHEE
