ISSERLES

isserles, moses ben israel (c. 1520-1572), known as rema, was born at cracow and died there in 1572. he wrote commentaries on the _zohar_, the "bible of the kabbalists," but is best known as the critic and expander of the _shulhan aruch_ of joseph qaro (caro)(q.v.). his chief halakhic (legal) works were _darke moshe_ and _mappah_. qaro, a sephardic (spanish) jew, in his code neglected ashkenazic (german) customs. these deficiencies isserles supplied, and the notes of rema are now included in all editions of qaro's code.