Shulḥan ha-panim (The Shewbread Table) or Meza de el alma

Introduction

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 Israel, our teacher and rabbi, R. Joseph Karo (guard him, Merciful One, and bless him), resident of Safed (may it be rebuilt and established soon, in our day), word by word, in brief and in Ladino, in complete letters with nekudot [vowel points] so that everyone will benefit from it. Even one who knows nothing more than the letters and the points, or knows soletreo [cursive], or does not even know that, will learn it so that later he will know the letters and the points or soletreo handwriting, so that reading by himself will be very easy and faster for him, because since it is in Ladino, it is something he understands, and is not learning something new. And there will not be a Jew who is illiterate and will not find pleasure in it, as I said above. And because it is written in such a good way, everyone should learn it and take care to read and know it, because if they don’t learn it in this way, so easy to learn and know, they will have much more trouble than before. And if they learn it and use what it says, they will be esteemed and loved by Blessed God, and He will be merciful to them. And it will be good if they want to continue to read a section of it every day, and if they can’t, at least on the Sabbath, when there is nothing to disturb them, and they can read it during the time that otherwise they used to go for walks. Hamavdil.¹ For the Sabbaths and the festivals were not given to Israel if not in order to study the Law on those days.

And those who recite the kabbalistic texts [ma‘amadot] every day are not able to read one or the other, so it is better that they read a section of this book, because they do not understand that other text, but they will understand this book, and more than that, it is necessary to know what it instructs in order to apply and to affirm [i.e., observe, practice the laws] and to read the pages in consecutive order. And as they finish reading it, they should always return to the beginning and not be annoyed about memorizing it for now, for on such a good day, all this is enough for them to remember what they have read.

And it is not enough to read; rather after having read a passage or a chapter, one should look and count how many laws he has read in the said passage and chapter, one must practice in order to apply them later, for after knowing them he will have much more trouble if he doesn’t apply or practice them. And no one should believe or repeat anything that he has heard to the effect that in order to do all the things which this book says to do, it is necessary to have much free time. For the person who wants to be a Jew, there is nothing that should be inconvenient. Furthermore, the Law is not something that gives one license to be able to say that this is an obligation, and everyone is obliged to do it even though it is difficult. Whoever affirms it will have much merit, and the person who can do it without much trouble will do a good deed if every time he reads [this book] he calls his neighbor to read that section with him. And in doing so, he will be creating many benefits. First, the two will sharpen each other and they will understand what they read much better, given that everything is very well explained, and they will enjoy it more, and it will stay longer in their memory and it will have many other benefits. And, furthermore, he will give merit to his neighbor for reading, and he himself will get double merit for making him read.

And when it comes to his wife—whether in the laws of niddah [ritual purity/impurity related to menstruation]; of the challah; of Sabbath candles; or in the laws of kashrut, of purging [removing tendons, etc.], of salting, and separating meat and cheese, and looking for worms [or bugs] in greens and vegetables, and of the liver and of the head and of the fish, and such—since we eat what comes out of her hand, and the sin will fall on him if he doesn’t advise her to tell her the laws, and he doesn’t endeavor saying that all women practice all these things because this is a great blindness that blinds even some experienced men who know that many women do not practice what they should.

And thus, try to read the laws of each festival before that festival arrives, and tell the women what their obligation is during that festival. A man is obligated to advise them in all, and at least he can tell them the laws one after another, in consecutive order, as in the book that I have arranged for the ḥazanim² of the women, which I have called in the Holy Language Mar’ot ha-tsove’ot [Book of Mirrors] and in Ladino Espejo de las Mujeres [Mirror of Women], except that book does not have the laws of niddah that are necessary to tell them here, since I did not want to write them there for reasons of honesty [modesty].

And how good it would be if everyone instructed, at least to his daughter, the letters and the soletreo handwriting so that later she could read herself the aforementioned book and know her obligations.