Martin ,I am hesitant to bring up certain topics up in our group,but with mass media many thing that were taught to us by our illustrous and poorly educated Rabbis have been proven false.Until recently, students knew very little about Yosef Karo except the false information the rabbis wished to impart to their students .Many knew the wool was being pulled over their eyes among other things .Yosef Karo swore there was no kabbalistic influence to be found in the Shulchan Aruch.This was a lie as it came to be discovered, and is well ducumented and researched today with all information exposed .In one of the largest synagogues in the U.S. when they were interviewing a rabbi for the position of Chief Rabbi asked him these questions. Is there kabbalistic influence to be found in the Shulcan Aruch? What about those people who follow the Mishna Torah as their authority. What did Yosef Karo say about this? What has the Chief Rabbinate here in Israel said about those who follow the Mishna Torah and not the Shulcan Aruch.Many today follow Yosef Karo(which you stresses earlier),but when there is a contradiction what do the do?(They go to the Mishna Torah for an answer?)How many rabbis who serve on the Chief Rabbinate today follow this practice and approve of this age old tradition among rabbinic scholars.What famous Chief Rabbi of Israel has said recently that there were many sources Yosef Karo ignored ? Who is this famous Rabbi? This rabbi in front of some of the leading Torah Scholars of our day flunked the test and was nor give the position.----Less 250.000 dollars U.S. salary. The final response given by one of the most famous Torah Scholar today was," Where did you study and were have you been hiding all these years."( It is unfortunate we have many such people today hiding behind a medieval agenda of rabbinical obscurantism.It is time to remove the black hats and clerical garb of Christian priest, and be part of the real world out there waiting for us. We need to stop the trivia and get serious about Torah.