Objects

Choshen Mishpat (Hebrew: Breastplate of Judgement) is a book that discusses civil law and the principles of judicial procedure. It is the fourth and final part of the Shulchan Aruch code (Hebrew: Set Table). It consists of two parts: I – Book of rights, loans between parties, II – Disputes. The copy from the collection of the Regional Museum in Pińczów has a hard cloth binding and consists of 134 pages.

The Shulchan Aruch, the most authoritative code of Jewish religious law, was compiled in the 16th century by Joseph Karo (1488–1575) of the Palestinian city of Safed. It was conceived as a textbook for laypeople and students. Karo based the findings in it on the opinions of most of his three great predecessors, two of whom were Sephardic. He often borrowed the language and wording from Maimonides, one of the most prominent Sephardic codifiers. Since the Shulchan Aruch overlooked Ashkenazi traditions and customs, Moses Isserles (Rema), a Talmudist from Poland and Karo's contemporary, supplemented this work with his own glosses, presenting the Ashkenazi position.

More information on Choshen Mishpat, the Shulchan Aruch, Joseph Karo and Moses Isserles can be found in the Polish Judaic Dictionary, https://delet.jhi.pl/pl/psj.