The Legacy of Rabbi Yosef Karo

The Legacy of Rabbi Yosef Karo

...Our custom is to say "Baruch She'amar," followed by "Hashem melech" and "The heavens declare," and on Shabbat after the great Hallel. It is apparent from A"ch's words that "The heavens declare" is not recited during the week, as also suggested by the Zohar in Parshat Terumah, pages 136-137...

Commentary on Tur, Orach Chayim, Siman 50

...Since this law is not clarified in our Talmud, who would dare to overrule the words of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, who is so stringent on the matter of wearing tefillin during Chol Hamoed?

Commentary on Tur, Orach Chayim, Siman 31

...Tosafot notes there that Rabbi Yitzchak says there is in the Pesikta a story of Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha, when the Jews enter synagogues and respond "Amen, Yehei shmei rabbah" with a loud voice, harsh decrees are annulled. It appears one should respond loudly, as this is also stated in the Zohar and written there is the reason it was decreed in Aramaic. See, holy matters are not like other sanctities... From this, one should reflect on the concentration required in Kaddish and the effort to respond with intention, further evidenced in the aforementioned Zohar...

Commentary on Tur, Orach Chayim, Siman 56

...However, the Zohar states that an individual does not recite the Kedushat Yotzer, nor the Kedusha of "U'va Letzion" in Hebrew; an individual should not say it, according to the Zohar in Parshat Terumah. Despite the custom of individuals to recite Kedushat Yotzer, it seems to me that since this is not explicitly mentioned in the Talmud, we should follow the words of the Zohar, as I wrote in Siman 31 regarding tefillin on Chol Hamoed...

Commentary on Tur, Orach Chayim, Siman 59

...It is also written in the Zohar in Parshat Vayeshev about the verse "The man said, 'They have left here,'" and further teachings on the morning washing of hands not found in legal texts. R"Sh opens: some of this is written (in the Zohar) in Parshat Miketz regarding the verse "Joseph recognized his brothers..." It's curious that in Parshat Terumah regarding the verse "And you shall make a table..." it is written (in the Zohar): "The waters..." These two teachings seem contradictory, and perhaps there's a difference between morning hand washing and that for eating. For morning washing, since hands are impure from impurity, if one first washed the left with the right, it could seem as if the right side is serving the impure. Therefore, one must first wash the right hand with the left, as written in Parshat Vayeshev. But for eating, since the hands are pure and one washes only to add holiness, the left should wash the right hand first, according to Parshat Terumah. However, it can be interpreted that one always washes the right hand first, whether for morning or eating, as stated in Parshat Vayeshev. What is written in Parshat Terumah about taking water in one's hand means to take the water vessel in the right hand and pass it to the left to pour water on the right hand.

Beit Yosef on Tur, Orach Chayim, Siman 4

The Mysteries of the Torah according to the Beit Yosef

I've seen Ashkenazim wash hands during the priestly blessing, even if they washed in the morning, and heard this was also done in Spain, with Levites pouring water over their hands. I did not know the source for Levites to do this. I am grateful that Hashem helped me find it in the Zohar in Parshat Naso: "A priest about to spread his hands for blessing must add holiness to his holiness and needs to sanctify his hands with the holiness of the Levite's hand, as it says, 'And sanctify the Levites, for they are holy...' From this, every priest stretching his hands must be sanctified with the Levite's holiness, adding holiness to holiness, and should not take water holiness from someone else who is not holy." Also written there in the hidden part of the book: "Levite who is sanctified, the priest must be sanctified first." Truly, this is the practice that should be followed.

Commentary on Tur, Orach Chayim, Siman 128