July 4th, 1976

The Shulchan Aruch, written by Rabbi Yosef Caro and supplemented by Rabbi Moshe Isserles, is a foundational text of Jewish law. It is divided into four sections: Orach Chaim (laws of prayer, Shabbat, and holidays), Yoreh Deah (laws of kosher, usury, vows, etc. ), Even HaEzer (laws of marriage and divorce), and Choshen Mishpat (monetary laws and torts). The work aims to clarify Jewish law by presenting all known sources on particular issues, especially addressing the differences between Sephardic and Ashkenazic customs. It has become the standard legal code of Judaism and is widely consulted by rabbis and scholars.

The Mishnah is the oldest authoritative postbiblical collection and codification of Jewish oral laws. It was systematically compiled by numerous scholars (Tannaim) over a period of about two centuries and given final form by Judah ha-Nasi in the early 3rd century CE. The Mishnah supplements the written laws found in the Pentateuch and presents various interpretations of selective legal traditions that had been preserved orally since at least the time of Ezra. It is divided into six major sections (sedarim) containing 63 tractates, each further divided into chapters. The Mishnah has played a decisive role in the religious life of the Jewish people and serves as the foundation for both the Jerusalem and Babylonian Talmuds.