We have a lot of series in OU Torah, and many of them are cyclical in nature. Daf Yomi repeats the Talmud every seven years. Mishnah Yomit repeats the Mishnah every six years. Nach Yomi repeats the Books of Neviim and Kesuvim (the Prophets and the Writings) every two years. And, perhaps least surprisingly, Shnayim Mikra repeats the cycle of the weekly Torah portions every year. The question was: what should we do about HaShoneh Halachos, which teaches two Jewish laws each day?
For nearly four years, since September, 2011, HaShoneh Halachos has been putting two halachos in 2,500+ subscribers’ email boxes every single day. (Halachos for Shabbos and yom tov are sent in advance.) As we reach the conclusion of Kitzur Shulchan Aruch (the Concise Code of Jewish Law), we had a decision to make: “play it again” or continue the program with a new book? Ultimately, the decision was made to continue the program with a brand-new series based on one of the seminal works of Jewish law. Accordingly, on Thursday, July 9, 2015, HaShoneh Halachos will conclude its daily emails. (It will remain available on the OU Torah web site.) On Friday, July 10, OU Torah unveils HaShoneh Halachos 2: Mishneh Torah.
The Mishneh Torah, AKA the Yad Chazakah, is Maimonides’ groundbreaking codification of Jewish law. It covers all areas, from the most practical application to the most esoteric. In addition to what we might consider more basic areas of study, like Shabbos and kashrus, the Mishneh Torah discusses everything from the laws of sacrifices to how to identify the future king of the Davidic dynasty. HaShoneh Halachos 2: Mishneh Torah begins with the very first section, Yesodei HaTorah (Foundations of the Torah), and our obligation to understand God, to the extent that humans can.
Mishneh Torah is a work considerably longer than Kitzur Shulchan Aruch. At the rate of two halachos per day, HaShoneh Halachos 2: Mishneh Torah will take 20 years, six months and some change to complete the entire work. (We will endeavor to complete and post the text on OU Torah at a far faster pace, for those who may not want to wait two decades for the finished product.) But if you ever wanted to review the Rambam’s master work of halacha and are in it for the long haul, sign up for HaShoneh Halachos 2: Mishneh Torah!*
*Current HaShoneh Halachos subscribers will automatically continue with the new series without interruption.