Elul 2

In 1555, the first printing of the Rabbi Yosef Karo's Shulchan Aruch (Code of Jewish Law) was completed near Tzfat, Israel. Shulchan Aruch is divided into four sections, dealing with daily life, prohibitions, marriage, and monetary law. He wrote the Code in his old age, for the benefit of those who were unable to understand his more comprehensive work, Beit Yosef. Since its publication, Shulchan Aruch has become the gold standard of Jewish law, upon which all subsequent commentaries and responsa are based.