Yosef Caro Synagogue Safed

The '''Joseph Caro Synagogue''', located on [[Art-Gallery-Street-Safed|Alkabetz Street]] in [[Safed|Tzfat’s]] [[Old City Safed|Old City]], is housed in the location of the former Tzfas Beit Din that was headed by [[Rabbi Yosef Karo|Rabbi Joseph Caro]]. Rabbi Caro was a master of Jewish Law, authoring the [[Shulchan Aruch|Shulhan Aruch]] and the [[Bais Yosef|Beit Yosef]]. Some of his writing was done in a room located underneath the Karo Synagogue. Later the rabbinical court turned study hall was destroyed in the [[Safed 1837 Earthquake|1837 earthquake]], and was rebuilt by Italian philanthropist Isaac Guetta. The Yosef Caro Shul contains several old Torah scrolls and a 'Geniza' section of ancient manuscripts. On Shabbos, the Caro Shul operates Sephardi minyanim and during the week it is open for tourists.

[[Rabbi Yosef Karo|Rabbi Yosef Caro]] was a scion of a family that fled Spain during the Spanish Inquisition. The family settled in Turkey and it was there that Rabbi Caro developed into a renowned scholar. He was drawn to Kabbalistic teachings and in his late 40's, made his way to Safed where he established a House of Study.   

[[File:00000294-yosef-caro-synagogue-ark.jpg|thumb|180px|left|The synagogue Torah Ark.]]Rabbi Caro compiled an extensive overview of Jewish law and practice in his book the “[[Bais Yosef|Beit Yosef]],” an extensive overview of Halacha. The work lays out the Talmudic source of each law, its development from Biblical and Talmudic sources, the subsequent rabbinical discussions and rulings and the differing views among sages and rabbis. Rabbi Caro later summed up each section by noting the current status of each Halacha in his monumental work the '[[Shulchan Aruch]]'.

[[File:00000292 open aron kodesh yosef caro shul.jpg|thumb|100px|left|The Caro Aron Kodesh.]] The Yosef Caro Synagogue in Tzfat marks the spot where Rabbi Yosef Caro headed the Beit Din during his tenure as the “Av Beit Din of Tzfat” -- Head of the Rabbinical Court. The synagogue was destroyed in the [[Safed 1837 Earthquake|1837 earthquake]] and was rebuilt through the generosity of Isaac Guetta, an Italian Jew who funded the restoration of several [[Tzfat Synagogues|Tzfat synagogues]] following the earthquake. Guetta imported Italian stone for the synagogue’s floor. The Caro synagogue has several old Torah scrolls which are still in use, including a 200 year-old Persian scroll, a 300 year-old Iraqi scroll and a 500 year-old scroll from Spain. The glassed-in bookshelves along the synagogue walls are the synagogue’s “Geniza”, storing sacred written works. Since the early 20th century the Ben Shimon family has served as the synagogue’s caretakers. They open the synagogue for visitors and maintain it. Currently the Karo Shul runs Minyonim on Shabbos using Nusach Edut HaMizrach / Sepharadi and is especially known for its early Kabbalas Shabbos minyan during the Summer days.