Aruch HaShulchan (for Windows)

The Aruch HaShulchan, the classic Halachic compendium of Jewish law written by Rabbi Yechiel Michel Epstein over 100 years ago, is now available for DavkaWriter and Mellel II. The Institute for Computers in Jewish Life and Davka Corporation are pleased to make this significant text available in digital format for the first time.

The Aruch HaShulchan is unique among modern Halachic works in the breadth of his analysis of topics. As with the Mishnah Berurah, his work is written to accompany the chapters of the Shulchan Aruch. However, rather than just cite a source briefly, he traces the development of Halachic opinion, cites disputes among the Rishonim, and attempts to reconcile seeming contradictory opinions wherever possible. Nonetheless, the Aruch HaShulchan is not a work of pilpul but rather a vital source of halacha l'maaseh.

The Aruch HaShulchan is a particularly useful book for intermediate and advanced students in day schools and yeshivot. The publication of the Aruch HaShulchan will bring this vital text to a worldwide audience in a newly accessible form.

The Aruch HaShulchan for DavkaWriter and Mellel II currently includes the Orach Chaim and Yoreh Deah sections – a total of five of the eight volumes of the Aruch HaShulchan. The remaining volumes are under preparation and will be available at a later date.

Davka's Aruch HaShulchan is a most useful tool for research.

• Using the Library Search feature in DavkaWriter Platinum 6 (PC only), you can set DavkaWriter to perform a special 'Find-in-File' search, which will restrict the search to the Aruch HaShulchan files in your library, and will show a list of one-line citations that can be easily viewed in full text format.

• Using the regular Find feature in DavkaWriter or Mellel II, you can search the texts for any word or phrase.

• You can copy, paste, print, and resize text from the Aruch HaShulchan text, because it is a DavkaWriter or Mellel II file!

Installation is easy. Just pop the CD-ROM in the drive, and within seconds, the Aruch HaShulchan Orach Chaim and Yoreh Deah will be installed in DavkaWriter's Text Library menu. On the Mac, just copy the files onto your hard drive and you're ready to go!

About the Aruch HaShulchan:

The Aruch HaShulchan was written by Rabbi Yechiel Michel Epstein, the renowned Halachic authority (1829-1908), who lived in Novardok, Russia. The Aruch HaShulchan is based on the Shulchan Aruch and traces the origins of each law and custom to its source. Rabbi Epstein authored additional Halachic works, among them the Aruch HaShulchan He'Atid, which covers the sections on vows, agriculture, and ritual piety. Rabbi Epstein's son was Rabbi Baruch Epstein, author of the noted commentary on the Chumash, Torah Temimah.