In contrast to the Talmud whose discussions are often esoteric, the Code of Jewish Law gives us "the bottom line" on correct Jewish behavior. Rabbi Wein unravels the complex scholarship that went into codifying the Shulchan Aruch, from the Halachic works that preceded it to the works it later spawned. Each has withstood the test of time and each wielded such authority that even today, any compendium of Jewish Law is incomplete without them.