And [Rebbe Nachman] warned us very much to learn Shulchan Aruch – more than all other studies. And it is good to learn all the four sections of the Shulchan Aruch in order – from beginning to end. If a person is able to learn the four sections of the Shulchan Aruch with all of the main commentaries – this is good. And if not, nevertheless, a person should learn the smaller versions of the Shulchan Aruch.
This is a great tikkun, because a person’s sins cause good and evil to become mixed together. But through learning the pesak halachah, a person clarifies what is kasher and what is pasul, what is permitted and what is prohibited, what is pure and what is contaminated. Through this, the good is purified and separated from the evil, as it is explained in the Torah “Ra’isi Menoras Zahav” (Likutei Mohoran I, 8), and in other places (see Likutei Mohoran I, 62) that explain the virtue of learning halachah.
And [Rebbe Nachman] said that every Jew is obligated to learn halachah every day, without fail. And even if a person is unexpectedly preoccupied and he doesn’t have any time, at the very least he should learn one halachah from any section of the Shulchan Aruch, even if it’s not the place that he’s studying at that time. Because a person must learn a halachah of the Shulchan Aruch every day of his life. And when he’s not unexpectedly preoccupied, he should learn all four sections of the Shulchan Aruch in order, day by day. And as soon as he finishes the four sections of the Shulchan Aruch, he should go back and start again in order. And this is what a person should do all of his life.
The Beauty of Learning Simple Halachah
Regarding learning Shulchan Aruch, it is very important for each of us to find the right method that is appropriate according to our capabilities. The most simple level is to study the Shulchan with the commentary of the Be’er Heitev. One of the main struggles of understanding the Shulchan Aruch is that it is often difficult to picture the exact situation or image that is being discussed. Most of us are not familiar with the source of each halachah in the Gemarra, so the succinct teachings of the Shulchan Aruch seem very abstract. This is especially relevant regarding the sections after Orach Chaim, most of which we don’t practice on a regular basis.
However, when we learn Shulchan Aruch together with the Be’er Heitev, the picture becomes much clearer. The Be’er Heitev often explains ambiguities in the Shulchan Aruch and summarizes the main opinions of the poskim. He does so in a way that is not too complicated, without going into the intricate details of each opinion. Thus, learning the Shulchan Aruch with the Be’er Heitev is a method that is accessible to most of us.
Nonetheless, if we come across something in this limud that we can't understand, we shouldn’t get stuck. Rather, we should keep going, and very often, we will find the answer to our question or confusion in the continuation of the sefer. And even if not, once we finish the Shulchan Aruch, we should start again from the beginning, and next time around we will certainly have a clearer grasp of the material. So, we should set a certain amount of Shulchan Aruch with the Be’er Heitev that we can learn each day without fail, and begin covering ground.
Studying in Depth and with Humility
On the other hand, those of us who are capable of learning halachah in depth should certainly do so. As we mentioned previously, the spiritual benefits of studying Shulchan Aruch are immense, so if we are able to invest more time and effort in this practice, we will certainly reap the rewards.
The deeper level of learning the Shulchan Aruch starts with studying the Tur and Beis Yosef in order to understand the summary of the Gemarra and Rishonim that is the source of the halacha in the Shulchan Aruch. Without this background information, it is very hard to grasp the topics that the commentaries on the Shulchan Aruch discuss. Next, we should learn the Shulchan Aruch with the main poskim – the Taz and Magen Avraham or Shach (depending on the particular section of Shulchan Aruch), as well as the Be’er Heitev, who summarizes all the opinions, as we mentioned before.