The Chofetz Chaim spent significant time in Warsaw to oversee the publication ofMishnah Berurah
IN order to rectify this situation regarding halachic knowledge, I have, with Hashem’s assistance, compiled a satisfactory commentary on the Shulchan Aruch, currently through Hilchos Tefillah. I have named it Mishnah Berurah and have with Hashem’s help elucidated every din in the Shulchan Aruch through its source in the Gemara and poskim, so that it shouldn’t be a closed book.… My hope to Hashem is that through this commentary, every individual will find clarity in the study in all of its details.… Hashem should assist me in completing the commentary on the remainder of the halachos of this section of Shulchan Aruch, and He should strengthen my heart to serve Him. May we merit the comfort of Zion speedily in our days. Amen.
—Rav Yisrael Meir HaKohein, the Chofetz Chaim, introduction to the first volume of Mishnah Berurah, Warsaw 1884
The second half of the 19th century saw Warsaw’s Jewish community become the largest in Europe. The Industrial Revolution led to rapid urbanization, and the Jewish population of Warsaw skyrocketed from 11,000 in 1800 to more than 300,000 in 1910, making it second only to New York City.
One of the consequences of Warsaw’s growth as a Jewish metropolis was its central role in Hebrew publishing. By the end of the 1850s, eight Jewish printing houses were functioning in the Polish capital. So when the Chofetz Chaim embarked on the publication of his magnum opus Mishnah Berurah from 1884 to 1907, he spent significant time in the city to oversee its publication.
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