Hanukkah According to the Shulchan Aruch

Avi Rosen's "Hanukkah According to the Shulchan Aruch" offers a structured exploration of the Hanukkah laws as presented in the Shulchan Aruch. The book situates these rulings within their broader legal development, tracing their origins from relevant Talmudic discussions through significant medieval interpretations. It examines Rabbi Joseph Karo’s concise legal pronouncements and Rabbi Moses Isserles’s accompanying glosses, which reflect Ashkenazi customs. The author’s methodology is text-based, providing translated passages alongside explanations of terminology, argument mapping, and insights into the assumptions embedded within the code. The work distinguishes between historical evidence concerning the Maccabees and the Talmudic narrative regarding the oil.

This study guide delves into how later commentaries expand upon the compact legal statements, addressing questions related to household obligations, the increasing number of lights, placement, timing, blessings, work restrictions, prayer, and Shabbat. It carefully differentiates between Sephardic and Ashkenazi developments without oversimplifying them into rigid categories, and avoids projecting contemporary denominational practices onto early modern sources. Midrashic and Kabbalistic elements are identified when pertinent to the discussion but are not presented as substitutes for Halakha. The volume includes study questions designed to help readers follow the evolution of legal opinions and recognize unresolved variables, serving as an introduction to legal reasoning rather than a substitute for consultation with competent rabbinic authorities.