View source for Orach Chayim

{{Italic title}}
{{Short description|Section of Rabbi Jacob addressing aspects of Jewish law pertinent to the Hebrew calendar}}
{{More sources needed|date=December 2009}}
[[File:Orach Chayim Mezhbuzh.jpg|thumb|''Orach Chayim'' book of 1817/1818 published from the collection of the "Mezhybizh" State Reserve (Ukraine)]]
'''''Orach Chayim''''' ("manner/way of life") is a section of [[Rabbi]] [[Jacob ben Asher]]'s compilation of [[Halakha]] (Jewish law), ''[[Arba'ah Turim]]''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Orach Chaim |url=http://www.ou.org/judaism-101/glossary/orach-chaim/ |access-date=2022-11-13 |website=Orthodox Union |language=en}}</ref> This section addresses aspects of Jewish law pertinent to the [[Hebrew calendar]] (be it the daily, weekly, monthly, or annual calendar). Rabbi [[Yosef Karo]] modeled the framework of the ''[[Shulkhan Arukh]]'' (שולחן ערוך), his own compilation of practical Jewish law, after the ''Arba'ah Turim.''<ref>{{Cite web |last=Miller |first=Moshe |title=Rabbi Yosef (Joseph) Caro - The Master, Author of the Shulchan Aruch |url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/380611/jewish/Rabbi-Yosef-Joseph-Caro-The-Master.htm |access-date=2022-11-13}}</ref> Many later commentators used this framework, as well.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Rabbi David Halevi (Taz) - (5346-5427; 1586-1667) |url=https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/111909/jewish/Rabbi-David-Halevi-Taz.htm |access-date=2025-06-26 |website=www.chabad.org |language=en}}</ref> Thus, ''Orach Chayim'' in common usage may refer to another area of halakha, separate from Rabbi Jacob ben Asher's compilation.

''Orach Chayim'' deals with but is not limited to:

*Washing the hands in the morning
*[[Tefillin]] 
*[[Tzitzit]] (ritual fringes)
*[[Jewish services|Prayer]]
*[[Shabbat|Sabbath]]
*[[Jewish holiday|Festivals]]
*[[Torah reading]] in [[synagogue]].<ref name=":0" />

==Commentaries on the ''Shulchan Aruch'' – ''Orach Chayim''==
* ''Taz (Turei Zohov)'' – by Rabbi [[David HaLevi Segal]]
* ''Magen Avraham'' – by Rabbi [[Avraham Gombiner]]
* ''Biur HaGra'' – by the [[Vilna Gaon]]
* ''Pri Megadim'' – by Rabbi [[Joseph ben Meir Teomim]]
* ''[[Mishnah Berurah]]'' – by Rabbi [[Yisrael Meir Kagan]]
* ''Tor Bareket'' – by Rabbi [[Chaim HaKohen]] of Aram [[Zobah]] ([[Aleppo]])

==''Maginei Eretz''==
'''''Maginei Eretz''''' was the first edition of the Orach Chaim, published with the commentaries Magen David and Magen Avraham on either side of the main text. This format has been maintained and today is the standard format for the Shulchan Aruch Orach Chaim. The name "Maginei Eretz" translates as "shields of the earth," a quote from Psalms 47:10 ("... for the shields of the earth belong to God: He is greatly exalted.")

The Magen David was written by Rabbi [[David HaLevi Segal]] and has since been referred to as the "Taz" (The abbreviation for Turei Zahav), for consistency with Segal's commentary on the [[Yoreh Deah]] section of the Shulchan Aruch.

The Magen Avraham was written by Rabbi [[Avraham Gombiner]]. The Maginei Eretz was published by his son, Chaim, following his father's death.

==See also==
The other three sections of Arba'ah Turim and other works borrowing its organizational scheme are: 
*''[[Yoreh De'ah]]''
*''[[Choshen Mishpat]]''
*''[[Even HaEzer]]''

==Bibliography==
*[http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/111909/jewish/Rabbi-David-Halevi-Taz.htm Chabad.org article on Rabbi David Halevi Segal]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Wikisource|Translation:Shulchan Aruch/Orach Chaim}}
*[https://www.sefaria.org/Shulchan_Arukh,_Orach_Chayim?tab=contents ''Orach Chayim'' at Sefaria]
*[http://he.wikisource.org/wiki/%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%9C%D7%97%D7%9F_%D7%A2%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%9A_%D7%90%D7%95%D7%A8%D7%97_%D7%97%D7%99%D7%99%D7%9D Hebrew edition online]

[[Category:Rabbinic legal texts and responsa]]
[[Category:Hebrew-language religious books]]
[[Category:Hebrew words and phrases in Jewish law]]

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