Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch Translated to English

Every step of our day is guided by the words and insights of Shulchan Aruch. From when we rise in the morning to when we close our eyes, our days are replete with chances to connect to Hashem.

Considered a magnum opus on Jewish law, the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe, Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, is renowned for its clear codification and analyses on the day-to-day laws of Jewish life. It’s often considered essential for understanding the many mitzvahs performed during holidays throughout the year.

To make these texts more accessible, Sichos in English (SIE) undertook the monumental task of translating this text for the first time into English, employing a team of scholars, researchers and designers. They partnered with Kehot Publication Society, who are the publishers of the original Hebrew version. To date, they have published six volumes of the Alter Rebbe’s Shulchan Aruch. It has now been published online in a beautiful new side-by-side English translation.

SIE’s groundbreaking translation of this seminal work in English has become a staple in Jewish homes around the world. In a unique partnership with Chabad.org, this extraordinary resource is now also being made available online.

The laws of ‘Rising in the Morning’ are the most recent addition to the series, online now in both their Mahadura Basra and Kama editions. These laws provide a practical and inspirational guide towards daily Jewish living. Previous installments featured all the laws of the High Holidays: Rosh Hashanah, Yom Kippur, Sukkot. Additional installments will cover the entire first volume of the Shulchan Aruch, including additional laws of waking in the morning and daily prayers.

A highly specialized engine was developed by Chabad.org engineers to seemlessly digitize and elegantly display the Shulchan Aruch, preserving the intuitive layout of its printed counterpart. Features include the ability to display all the sources, footnotes, and the side-by-side Hebrew and English translations. An all-Hebrew version was also developed for Chabad.org’s Hebrew-language site.

The partnership between Chabad.org and SIE goes back almost two decades. Currently, more than 100 complete books have been published online by SIE on the Chabad.org platform.

According to Rabbi Yonah Avtzon, executive director of SIE publications, “having a work of this magnitude available in English for the first time online is yet another step in our commitment to making core Jewish and Chassidic texts accessible to Jews around the world.”