Israel Abrahams

“ Among the chief attempts to codify the halakha were the Great Rules (Halakhoth Gedoloth) of Simon Kayyara (9th century) , based on the letters written by the Gaonim, the heads of the Babylonian schools, to Jewish inquirers in many lands, the work of Jacob Alfassi (1013–1103) , the Strong Hand of Maimonides (1180) , and the Table Prepared (Shulḥan Aruch) of Joseph Qaro (1565) , which from its practical scope and its clarity as a work of general reference became the universal handbook of Jewish life in many of its phases. ”