Joseph Karo

Lore & Background

Joseph Karo was born in Toledo, Spain, in 1488. At age four, he was expelled from Spain with his family due to the Alhambra Decree, settling in Portugal. After his father's death, his uncle Isaac adopted him. Following the expulsion of Jews from Portugal in 1497, Karo moved with his parents to Nikopolis under Ottoman rule, where he received his first instruction from his father. He married twice, first to Isaac Saba's daughter, then to the daughter of Hayyim Albalag, both Talmudists. Between 1520 and 1522 he settled at Adrianople, later moving to Safed around 1535, after spending time in Salonica and Istanbul. By 1555 he was a resident of Biriyya near Safed, where he completed the first order of the Shulhan Arukh, Orach Chayim.

In Safed, Karo met Jacob Berab and was appointed to his rabbinical court. He became an enthusiastic supporter of Berab's plan to reinstitute semikha (rabbinical ordination), was among the first ordained, and after Berab's death tried to ordain his pupil Moshe Alshich, but eventually gave up due to opposition. Karo established a yeshiva teaching over 200 students. A Yemenite traveler, Zechariah Dhahiri, visited around 1567 and described Karo teaching with about 200 pupils. After Berab's death, Karo and Moses ben Joseph di Trani headed the bet din of Safed, which became the central bet din for the Old Yishuv and the Jewish diaspora, with its rulings accepted as final. Karo was visited by Egyptian scholars David ben Solomon ibn Abi Zimra and Yaakov de Castro, and came to be regarded as the leader of the entire generation.

Solomon Alkabetz testified that in Salonica, Karo merited instruction by a maggid—a private preacher revealing kabbalistic teachings. The maggid exhorted him to sanctify himself and revealed future events. These teachings are recorded in Maggid Mesharim, though Chaim Yosef David Azulai noted only about one-fiftieth of the manuscript was published. The maggid promised Karo he would settle in the Land of Israel, which was fulfilled, but a promise of martyrdom did not transpire. His reputation in his last thirty years was greater than almost any rabbi since Maimonides. Italian Jew Azariah dei Rossi collected money to print one of Karo's works, and Moses Isserles compelled recognition of a Karo decision at Kraków. Karo's authority was even greater in the east; his name headed a decree of herem against Daud, Joseph Nasi's agent, and he commissioned a decree to burn Azariah dei Rossi's 'Light of the Eyes', though it was not promulgated due to his death.

Reader's Guide

Joseph Karo's significance lies in his monumental codification of Jewish law, which provided a systematic and accessible framework for halakha after the disintegration caused by the expulsion of Jews from Spain. His Beit Yosef, a commentary on the Arba'ah Turim, demonstrated mastery over Talmud and medieval legal literature, while the Shulhan Arukh condensed these decisions into a widely accepted code. Karo's authority as a halakhic decisor was unparalleled in his time; the bet din of Safed under his leadership became the central authority for the Jewish diaspora, with rulings accepted as final. His mystical diary, Maggid Mesharim, records teachings from a maggid, reflecting a blend of legal rigor and kabbalistic piety. Karo's legacy endures through the Shulhan Arukh, which remains a foundational text for Jewish practice, and his influence shaped rabbinic leadership for generations. His life also illustrates the resilience of Sephardic Jewry after expulsion, as he rebuilt scholarly life in Ottoman lands and the Land of Israel.

Did You Know?

• Joseph Karo was born in Toledo, Spain, in 1488 and was expelled at age four due to the Alhambra Decree.
• He completed the first order of the Shulhan Arukh, Orach Chayim, in 1555 while living in Biriyya near Safed.
• Karo recorded nocturnal visits from a maggid, a heavenly mentor, over fifty years in his work Maggid Mesharim.
• His reputation during the last thirty years of his life was greater than that of almost any other rabbi since Maimonides.