Frequently Asked Questions

Daat Torah is a platform for serious limud halacha on the Shulchan Aruch, in English. It brings 124 simanim of Hilchos Shabbos (Orach Chaim 242-365) on 4 levels of limud (Base, Lamdan, Synthesis, Daas HaRav), together with a halachic AI assistant. The project was started by Rav Yossef Haim Samama and will iy"H expand to cover the whole Shulchan Aruch.

Yes. Every siman has 12 pages: 4 levels times 3 languages (English, French, Hebrew). Level 2 (Lamdan) is in lashon hakodesh across all three variants — that's the standard of the beis midrash for serious pilpul. The source content is translated by the Rav, with a proofread for halachic accuracy.

Hilchos Shabbos cover simanim 242 through 365 of the Shulchan Aruch — 124 simanim, all present on the site. Two have a particular status: the Alter Rebbe did not write up siman 304 (din shevisas eved — rest of the Jewish slave, a topic that no longer applies lema'aseh) or siman 322 (an egg laid on Shabbos — handled only by the Mehaber); the site presents them following the order of the Shulchan Aruch HaRav.

The project is starting with Hilchos Shabbos (Orach Chaim 242-365) since they shape the whole weekly avodah of a Yid. The other chalakim — Yoreh Deah, Even HaEzer, Choshen Mishpat — will iy"H be added step by step once Hilchos Shabbos are fully finished.

Level 1 (Base): the full Hebrew text of the Mehaber with a clear English translation and a pedagogical biur for someone starting out.

Level 2 (Lamdan): in-depth pilpul with the shittos of the rishonim and acharonim — entirely in Hebrew (lashon hakodesh, the loshon of the beis midrash).

Level 3 (Synthesis): a structured chazara in English for memorizing the sugya and reviewing it later.

Level 4 (Daas HaRav): the Shulchan Aruch of the Alter Rebbe (Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi, founder of Chabad), with Hebrew text, English translation and analysis.

Level 1 brings the text of the Mehaber (Rabbi Yosef Karo) as the common base for all minhagim. Level 4 (Daas HaRav) is devoted specifically to the chitta of the Alter Rebbe — that is the psak that's me'ikar hadin for Chabad. The AI assistant lets you set your minhag (Sefardi, Ashkenazi, Chabad, Other) so the answers fit your shittas, but for halacha lema'aseh you always have to ask your Rav.

At the top of every level page (1 through 4), a "📄 Print / Save as PDF" button opens your browser's print dialog. Pick "Save as PDF" as the destination — the layout is set up for A4.

The Daat AI assistant is a tool for limud — it brings down the mekoros from the Shulchan Aruch, the Mishna Berurah, Yabia Omer and the chitta of the Alter Rebbe with their exact references. It helps you understand, compare the shittos, and find new mekoros.

But for any halacha lema'aseh (practical psak), you must always ask your own Rav. The AI is not a posek and doesn't replace one.

Under each answer of the assistant there's a "📤 Share" button which sends the content to WhatsApp, email, SMS, or copies it to the clipboard. The URL daattorah.com is automatically included in the share so the recipient can come find the site.

The AI works off an internally indexed corpus: the 124 simanim of Hilchos Shabbos on their 4 levels, plus excerpts from the Mishna Berurah, Yabia Omer and Shulchan Aruch HaRav. For topics not yet integrated (Yoreh Deah, etc.) it falls back on its general knowledge — so it's less reliable there. Always check the references it brings down.

On the Community page, fill in the Chavrusa form with your level, your zmanim and your contact info. The DAAT team matches up talmidim who fit each other. There's also an open WhatsApp group for all of us to be in touch about the simanim being learned.

Under each AI answer, the 👍 / 👎 buttons let you rate it. The 👎 opens a field for you to spell out the issue (missing mekor, halachic mistake, off translation…). For mistakes on the level pages, post in the WhatsApp group or write through the AI assistant.

Yes — access to all the simanim and to the AI assistant is free. The project runs on donations through HelloAsso (Chavrusa tier from 8 €/month, Beis Midrash, Yeshiva, Lifetime) and on free-amount support through Qonto. The Support page lays out the tiers.

Three ways:

(1) One-time or recurring donation through HelloAsso — tiers Chavrusa (8 €/month), Beis Midrash (25 €), Beis Midrash+ (50 €), Yeshiva (100 €), or Lifetime (500 € once).

(2) Free-amount donation through Qonto.

(3) Share the site, point out mistakes, take part in the WhatsApp kehilla.

See the Support page for the details.

Rav Yossef Haim Samama grew up in France and today lives in Eretz Yisrael. He is a talmid of Rav Abichid and learned in the Tomchei Tmimim yeshivos of Chabad-Lubavitch. He's the one who started Daat Torah, whose mission is to make serious limud halacha accessible to French and English speakers. The About page lays out his background.