Description
Book SynopsisThe
Ḥayei Adam, an abridged code of Jewish law, was written by Rabbi Avraham Danzig (1748-1820) and was first published in 1810. This code spread quickly throughout Europe, and the demand for it required a second publishing which the author printed in 1818.
Beyond a Code of Jewish Law attempts to understand the implicit message of its author and discuss various approaches of its writer to both Judaism and Jewish law. While the
Ḥayei Adam without any doubt unveils Rabbi Danzig to be a brilliant rabbinic scholar, with a comprehensive knowledge of Jewish law as well as a coherent and concise system of presentation, it also expresses his great concern for the Jewish community and each individual Jew. Aspects of this concern such as
Hasidism, musar, kabbalah, are explored.
Table of ContentsTable of Contents
Preface and Acknowledgments
1. Introduction
2. Preambles: An Insight into Rabbi Avraham Danzig’s Ḥayei Adam
3. Minhag in the Ḥayei Adam—The Case of Kitniyot on Passover
4. Esoteric Halakhah and the Ḥayei Adam
5. Rabbi Avraham Danzig’s Polemic against Hasidism
6. The Democratization of Halakhah: The Ḥayei Adam and Musar
7. A New Role and Status: The Ḥayei Adam and the Mishnah Berurah
8. Jewish Pride in Rabbi Avraham Danzig’s Ḥayei Adam as Instantiated in the Aleinu
Appendix 1
The Life of the Man: The Life and Times of Avraham Danzig, by Dashiell Ferguson
Appendix 2
Rabbinic Texts and Authors Referred to in This Volume
Bibliography
Index
