The Printing of the Shulhan Aruch
R. Yair Hoffman has some comments on the printing of the Shulhan Aruch,
Most of us know that the Shulchan Aruch was written by Rabbi Yoseph Karo. Most of us also know that the additions of the Rama, Rabbi Moshe Isserless, were added to the Shulchan Aruch and they served to eventually make the Shulchan Aruch the universally accepted legal code of all Jewish people—for Sephardim as well as for Ashkenazim. The first time that the Shulchan Aruch was printed with the Rama was not until 1577—four years after the Rabbi Meir Printz edition.
How did the printers of the new Shulchan Aruchs with the additions of the Rama differentiate between the Rama’s additions and the original words of Rabbi Karo? They used a Rashi font for the Rabbi Moshe Isserles comments and regular Hebrew fonts for the words of Rabbi Karo.
This, of course, led to an era of confusion. Indeed, even great rabbis misidentified the translations of the Rabbi Meir Printz edition with the positions of the Rama.
See here for the full article. (hat tip) For a more in-depth treatment of the issue, in addition to the introduction to the new Shulhan Aruch ha-Shalem edition, see:
1. R. Yitzhak Nissim, introduction to the off-set edition of the 1577/8 Krakow edition of the Shulhan Arukh.
2. R. Nissim’s article in the Sinai Sefer Yovel.
3. R. Nissim’s article in the book Rabbi Yosef Karo, Mossad ha-Rav Kook, on hagahot to the Shulhan Aruch.
4. This article by R. Yitzhak Yeshayahu Weiss which appeared in Beit ha-Vaad.
5. Rav Tzair, Toldot ha-Poskim, vol. III, pp. 58-62.
There may be other bibliographical references, but these are what I can think of right now.
November 6th, 2008 at 9:26 pm
Reuvein Margoliot – on the first printings of the SA – Peninim U’ Margolios?
November 6th, 2008 at 9:34 pm
There is also an article in the book Rabbi Yosef Karo by someone on the first printings of the SA. I couldn’t find the book in the library, and I don’t have a photocopy of the article. In addition, there are a short article on the early printings of the SA by A.M. Haberman here which was published in this issue of Mahanayyim (the older one).