Recently passing through my hands was an exceptional and complete set of the Shulchan Aruch HaRav, printed in Munich in the immediate aftermath of the Holocaust, 1948-1949. Issued under the auspices of the Kehot Publication Society, this set holds deep historical and spiritual significance, especially for collectors of postwar Judaica and Chabad-related works. Of particular note is the involvement of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, then serving as director and editor-in-chief of Kehot. It was during this period – well before he assumed the leadership of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement following the passing of his father-in-law, the Rebbe Rayatz – that Rabbi Schneerson’s editorial hand helped shape this landmark edition. The Kehot Publication Society was founded in 1941 by the sixth rebbe of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn. In 1942, he appointed his son-in-law, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson – who would later ascend as the seventh rebbe in 1951 – as the organization’s director and editor-in-chief.
Printed in Germany for the benefit of the She’arit Hapletah – the surviving remnant of European Jewry, many of whom were housed in DP camps – this edition represents a poignant chapter in the story of Jewish resilience and revival. Each volume begins with an introduction authored by Rabbi Schneerson, offering a window into his early rabbinic voice. Volume III is particularly prized, as it includes a large fold-out facsimile of four pages in the handwriting of the Alter Rebbe himself, author of the Shulchan Aruch HaRav.
Following the main title page in each volume appears a publisher’s foreword, dated 19 Kislev 5708 (December 2, 1947), providing insight into various editorial choices:
At the conclusion of the first section, the halachic rulings from the Alter Rebbe’s siddur were appended, reflecting the then-recent compilation of the liturgical rulings. At the start of the sheilot u’teshuvot section, a facsimile of the Alter Rebbe’s own manuscript was inserted. Notably, the novellae of the Tzemach Tzedek were omitted from this printing by deliberate editorial choice.
In bibliographic terms, this is among the earliest major postwar Chabad publications, and it serves as both a spiritual lifeline and a bibliographic treasure for those studying the trajectory of Torah publishing in exile. The care taken in this edition, amidst the ruins of a shattered Europe, is a testament not only to the resilience of the survivors but also to the budding leadership of the rebbe-to-be.
The backdrop to this publication was the sprawling network of Jewish Displaced Persons camps established by the Allied authorities and the UNRRA. With approximately 250,000 Jewish survivors housed across Germany, Austria, and Italy, these camps became microcosms of Jewish rebirth. Though cut off from their past and unsure of their future, those in DP camps did not simply wait. Yeshivot were reestablished, batei midrash filled with the sounds of learning, and sefarim such as this were printed to nourish the soul of a broken nation.
This edition of the Shulchan Aruch HaRav, printed amid the ashes of Europe, stands as both a bibliophilic rarity and a historical witness to the Jewish will to endure and to rebuild.
