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Tzfat · the Old City · since the sixteenth century
בית הכנסת מרן הבית יוסף Beit Knesset Maran HaBeit Yosef
The beit midrash of Rabbi Yosef Karo — Maran, author of the Beit Yosef and the Shulchan Aruch — where he taught, judged, wrote, and heard the voice of the Maggid.
From the gabbai
All announcementsA house of study for five centuries
In a narrow lane of Tzfat’s Old City stands the beit midrash of Rabbi Yosef Karo — Maran, the author of the Beit Yosef and the Shulchan Aruch. Here, tradition tells, he taught hundreds of students, wrote the books that still order Jewish life today, and received the words of a heavenly teacher. The doors are open: come to pray, to learn, and to hear the stories these walls have kept for nearly five hundred years.
- Born
- Toledo, 1488
- Came to Tzfat
- c. 1536
- Shulchan Aruch printed
- Venice, 1565
- Passed away
- 13 Nisan 5335 · 1575
Explore
The Life of Maran
From the expulsion from Spain to the rabbinical court of Tzfat.
The Synagogue
Earthquakes, rebuilding, Hasidic pilgrims and the room of the Maggid.
The Sages of Tzfat
Beirav, Alkabetz, the Ramak, the Alsheich and the Arizal.
Legacy & Influence
How his books shaped five centuries of Jewish life.
Visit the beit midrash of Maran
Book a guided visit with the gabbai, or a private tour for your family or group. Pay securely online.
