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RAMHAL are the initials of Rabbi Moshe Haim Luzzatto,
born in the Ghetto of Padua in Italy in 1707. Son of Jacob Vita
and Diamente Luzzatto, noble but modest and pious parents, who
put him in the Yeshiva of Padua, while others preferred the
faculty of Medicine of the University of Padua.
From an early age, he showed an exceptional talent for the study
of Kabbalah, in a letter sent by his friend and student Rav.
Yekoutiel Gordon, he says: “RAMHAL was only fourteen and he
already knew by heart all the Kabbalah of the Ari’Zal and nobody
knew about it, not even his parents.”
At the age of fifteen, he wrote his first book of Kabbalah. His
master, Rav. Isaïe Bassan, well known Talmud Scholar and one of
the most important Rabbis of Italy, writes: “I have communicated
to him all the steps of the knowledge and all my spiritual
possessions were at his disposition, nothing was hidden to this
genius thirsty of knowledge … He was looking in all my
bookshelves to find some of the writings of Kabbalah that God
had granted me, then he would cross the stream, tasting the Ets
Hayim. His mind would then enter the valleys of secrets and
started to love them and to delight in them…”
At the age of seventeen, he already denotes certain
contradictions in the Ets Hayim Also at seventeen he composed
his book `Lechone Limoudim` in which he states the modern rules
of gender, stylistics, rhetoric and versification, to guide the
writer of the Hebrew language. RAMHAL shows particular abilities
in using metaphors and assonances, he uses this ability with
great efficiency in his different dramatic writings, for this,
RAMHAL will be proclaimed as “the father of the modern Hebrew
literature.”
During the same period, a Maguid reveals himself to the RAMHAL,
in a letter to Rav. Benjamin Hacohen in December 1729, he
writes:
“While I was meditating on a Yihoud
I fell asleep and when I woke up, I heard a voice: “I came down
to reveal hidden secrets of the Saintly King.” I stayed,
trembling for a moment, then I took hold of myself and the voice
did not cease to reveal mysterious things. The day after, at the
same time, I took the precaution to be alone in my room, the
voice manifested itself to reveal another secret, until the day
that it revealed to me that it was a Maguid …. Three month
latter, he transmitted to me other yihoudim to do everyday to
merit the visit of the prophet Elijah…. Then the prophet Elijah
came to tell celestial secrets, he latter announced the coming
of Matatron – The great Prince of the Angels….”
Under the dictation of the Maguid he writes thousands of pages
and reveals magnificent secrets.
A mystical study circle forms itself around him, its goal; the
continual reading of the Zohar and the Tikoun Hachehina and of
all Israel. The adhesion to this circle required to conform to
rules of purity and devotions, written and signed by the
members.
Once the goals of this study circle and the disclosure of the
Maguid known, some Rabbis and particularly the Rav Moche Haguiz,
started to make war to the RAMHAL. For them, following the
division in the community of Israel caused by the
pseudo-messianic movement of the false Messiah Sabbataï Tsevi,
mysticism and Kabbalah were synonyms of misleading and danger
for the community.
This war, or rather this persecution, since the attacks were
coming from only one way, is largely described in the
correspondence between RAMHAL and his master the Rav Bassan. One
letter written by the RAMHAL shows us his peaceful spirit and
his superiority to lower quarrels, he writes:
“Try by your wisdom, master, to abolish their arguments …. for
what purpose this quarrel … I do not want to create conflicts
with anybody …. it is peace that we need ..”
To the Rav. Moshe Haguiz he writes:
“To the illustrious wise … his name is among the greats.. son of
justs … how come you, a wise – like an angel of G. went to war
without trying to deepen the problem, to declare war against
someone you never met or saw … No, it is not a good thing. In
any ways, let’s stop this quarrel … let’s not give room to the
Satan to dance between us…”
For nine years, starts a time of persecution where, we see
RAMHAL trying to defend himself, answer to the accusations and
particularly to those of the Rabbinical Court of Hamburg, whose
chief was the Rav Ezekiel Katzenellenbogen. But, what do we
reproach him finally, nothing really, except maybe to have
written on the Kabbalah, to mention the Messiah and to reveal
his communications with the Maguid. However, he never and in no
writings, alluded to his own person as being the Messiah or some
kind of savior. In one of his letters to the Rabbis of Livourne
he writes: ‘Miracles I do not do, to predict the future also
not. In reality, a lot of people gather around me to study the
Torah, afterwards I write some books, as permitted by the Lord
(..) Even the magicians of Pharaoh made miracles in front of
Moses (..) And to my humble opinion, it is not the right way to
verify the contents of a science.”
Despite this very clear declaration, and on the insistence of
the Rabbi M. Haguiz, we make him sign an official retraction of
his writings, and in this document he approves that: “The duty
of every Jew is to obey the orders of the Rabbis even if they
say that the right hand is the left, and the left hand is the
right, and to stop writing in the language of the Zohar or in
other languages, about the Kabbalah under the name of the Maguid
or other Saintly Souls, as not to provoke quarrels in the midst
of the wise of Israel”
Following this engagement, he sends all his Kabbalistic writings
of before 1730, to his master Rav. Bassan, who seals them in a
box and remits them to Rabbi Moise Alproun.
Afterwards, from 1730 t 1734, he writes more than 40 works of
Kabbalah, but in a subtle language and somewhat rational.
In 1735, at the age of 28, tired of being harassed, he leaves
Italy to go to Holland with his young family.
Once there, the persecutions started again and he was forced to
sign an other engagement, preventing him from writing and
learning with anybody Kabbalah writings, but keeping his right
to study the works of the Ari Z’al at the age of forty, which
unfortunately he will not reach
It is only in 1736 that things calmed down, at the death of his
master Rav. Bassan and the grave illness of Rav.
Haguiz. A calm period followed until 1743, when RAMHAL
was appointed Rosh Yeshiva and wrote his most popular book and
one of the most studied in Yeshivot until today, “Messilat
Yesharim” – The path of the just a masterpiece of ethics not
moralizing. In the same period, he publishes two more important
works; Daat Tevounot – The knowing heart and Derech Hashem – The
way of G
In 1743, he realizes his dream to go up to Eretz Israel, as our
wise say; ‘Residency in Eretz Israel is a commandment containing
all the Torah.’ Very few details are known about his life in
Israel, except that he lived in the city of Acco near Tiberiade.
His stay there, was for a short period, he died in 1746 at the
age of 39 with his family during a plague.
There is one question; did RAMHAL write books in Israel? None
are known to date, but it is hard to believe that after being
persecuted not to write, and finally having the freedom to do
so, he would not of done it.
Like many great geniuses, RAMHAL was recognized as such only
after his death. Great masters as the Gaon of Vilna declared
that: “If RAMHAL was alive, he would go by foot to Italy, to
learn from his wisdom.” About Messilat Yesharim he said: “This
book witnesses the greatness of his author and his extraordinary
vision of the human elevation…”
The Maguid of Mezritche said: “His generation did not merit this
great man…. It is such that many among our people that, by lack
of knowledge, have uttered on this just, calumny that was not
justified.”
We can only pray today for forgiveness for all these Rabbis of
his generation, who wrongly took him as an impostor and
prevented him from leaving to the people of Israel other
magnificent works. We should also pray for our generation to
have the merit of the revealing of all his writings and
particularly the “Zohar Tiniana” who was buried along with his
other writings, by the Rabbis of Frankfurt.
Amen. |
