The Geonic period and the codifiers of rabbinic law

The codification of rabbinic law represents a continuous effort to render the halakha, scattered throughout the Talmud and responsa literature, accessible and applicable. Maimonides accomplished in the twelfth century, with the Mishné Torah, a complete and systematic codification organized by topic. In the fourteenth century, Jacob ben Asher composed the Arba'a Tourim (the "Four Rows"), which structured the law according to four major domains. In the sixteenth century, Joseph Karo wrote the Choulhan Aroukh, which, together with the glosses (Mapa) of Moïse Isserles incorporating Ashkenazi customs, became the authoritative code for the entire Jewish world. These works, and the commentaries that attached themselves to them, continue to structure contemporary halakhic practice.

Sources & resources

• Encyclopaedia Judaica — 2e éd., Keter/Macmillan
• Sefaria ↗