Mysteries of the Paratext: Why Did Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liady Never Publish His Code of Law?

This study mines the paratext of "Shulhan ‘Arukh ha-Rav" in an attempt to reconstruct the formative history of the code. From a broader perspective, this study highlights the potency of the paratext by demonstrating how it may steer or even govern the reader’s experience, shaping raw materials and effectively creating new works. In the case under discussion, since no authorial epitext has survived – Shulhan ‘Arukh ha-Rav is not mentioned anywhere in Shneur Zalman’s surviving writings – this study necessarily will examine the peritext of the code.