Beyond a Code of Jewish Law

Dr. Simcha Fishbane is a Professor of Jewish Studies in the Graduate School of Jewish Studies at Touro College, New York. He has published extensively on Jewish subjects and texts. Dr. Fishbane’s publications include Deviancy in Early Rabbinic Literature (2007); The Boldness of an Halakhist (2008); The Shtiebelization of Modern Jewry (2011); The Impact of Culture and Cultures Upon Jewish Customs and Rituals (2016); and The Rabbinic Discussion about Bat Mitzvah Celebrations (2017).

“[H]ighlights of the book include Fishbane’s advancing his arguments with lengthy citations from Hayei Adam, in translation, allowing readers to taste its style of writing—to ‘hear’ R. Danzig’s rabbinic voice. Similarly noteworthy is the image of a Torah scholar who never intended to write, was forced into that part of his career by circumstances beyond his control, struggled to fit in with the rabbinic culture of his time, and produced a work popular but not universally respected, until elevated by Mishnah Berurah, even as that later work supplanted it for widespread use and popularity. It is a reminder of the ups and downs of Torah literature, the vicissitudes of the works by even our greatest sages and scholars.

Prof. Fishbane should be commended for drawing our attention to R. Danzig’s life and Hayei Adam’s role, two centuries ago, as an access ramp for laymen to deepen their knowledge and practice of Jewish law.”

– Rabbi Gidon Rothstein, Tradition: A Journal of Orthodox Jewish Thought

“Dr. Fishbane has written extensively on nineteenth-century halakhic works, including the Mishna Berura and the Aruch Hashulchan, and does a great public service by introducing the far less known Ḥayei Adam to the public.”

–Rabbi Barry Gelman, ERJCC Blog