Sample Sources
The sources below are those contained in our three curated collections—covering themes of Passover, Gender Roles, and Holocaust Resistance. They represent a fraction of the thousands of sources that will be available when the full site launches in 2024.
Shulḥan ha-panim (The Shewbread Table) or Meza de el alma
This book is a translation of all the Laws that are necessary for people of whatever sort. Translated from the book written by the accomplished sage who edited and expanded the Law in…
Mapah (Tablecloth) to Shulḥan ‘arukh
Says Moses, son to my Master, my father, R. Israel—may the memory of the righteous be for a blessing for the world to come—seeing that the illustrious author [Joseph Karo] of the Bet Yosef [Th…
Bet Yosef (The House of Joseph): Introduction
Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, who created His world for the purpose of mankind, and, from all the different sorts of men, chose for Himself a nation as a special treasure—namely…
Nursery Rhymes
[May] your mornings [be] blessed,
[May] your life [be] long,
[May] your enemies [be] shrouded, dead,
[May] your [hot] breakfasts [be] poured, cooled.
Shene luḥot ha-berit (Two Tablets of the Covenant): On Rearing Children
A crucial and fundamental principle is the proper rearing of children. The Torah has stated: And you shall teach them [the words of Torah] to your children (Deuteronomy 11:19), for that is the…
Mishpat u-tsedakah be-Ya‘akov (Judgment and Righteousness [Are] in Jacob)
It has been a long, sorrowful time that Mr. Solomon Ha-Kohen of Tangier (may God protect him) has been living here with us in Fez (may God protect it), upset angry, and bitter. We did not know what…
Ginat veradim (Rose Garden)
There was an incident involving a woman who came before the court to get a divorce. Her name was Melok, and she had no other known name at all. It occurred to me in this regard that the name…
Responsum: On a Wayward Wife
Question 1: May our teacher and master, the great rabbi, who sits on the throne of halakhic rulings, please instruct and enlighten us regarding an episode that unfolded here in our city of Pisa, may…
Minhage Vormeiza (Customs of Worms): On Weddings
On Tuesday afternoon prayers, when the cantor reaches Taḥanun [prayers of supplication], the groom walks to the door of the synagogue while the congregation recites Taḥanun, and…
Letter to His Bride
Most magnificent and honored bride, my lady I gaze upon you:
Since I left Piacenza, I can honestly say that I am far away from my life. Oh, how can I live, and how can I hold up my limbs when I am so…
Seder mitzvot ha-nashim (The Order of Women’s Commandments): On Marital Relations
It should be known that after her immersion, every woman should persuade her husband and see to it that he study before he lies with her. And so we find it written regarding Boaz, “And Boaz ate…
Noheg ka-tson Yosef (He Leads Joseph Like a Flock): On Rosh Hashanah
21. On the second day of Rosh Hashanah, we pray as on the first day, except that the liturgical poems are different. [ . . . ]
22. And the Musaf service is as on the first day, except that we do not…