R. Epstein wrote that his abridgement includes niglah (revealed Torah) only in order to quench the thirst of those poor in knowledge. They will look into it and discern how to do the mitzvot of the Creator with pure thoughts. Shelah is a work of great quality and size, replete with the wisdom of Kabbalah and sayings from the Zohar, beyond the capacity of many minds. In addition, it is very scarce. R. Epstein writes for those who live in villages and are unfamiliar with the words of the Shelah. Within the text of Kizzur Shelah Epstein abridges the Shelah and includes glosses from additional works. It is not, however, simply a condensation of the Shelah. That work is a multifaceted compilation of profound discourses on Talmudic tractates and the weekly Torah portion. Kizzur Shelah restricts itself to the halakhic and ethical content of the Shelah, eschewing Shelah’s homiletic and kabbalistic subject matter. R. Epstein also emphasizes areas of interest to him and includes several innovations.