David Bronson wrote to me conserning the Remak Rav Moshe Cordovaro:
The best introduction to this
I think is the Eitz Chaim of the Ari [written by Rav Chaim Vital] but David
Bronson thinks the Four Hundred Shekels of silver--also of the Ari is a better
intro.”
—
Actually I never read the Four Hundred Shekels but if you would have asked me two weeks ago I would have answered the Pardes Rimonim of the Remaq. I got it a year and a half ago on the recommendation of the Gra from the Sefer Keter Rosh (the entry on Qabala where he says it’s good to learn the Pardes). It was the most excited I’ve been about a sefer since discovering the Ramban’s Perush al haTorah. The most satisfying and ingenious explanations about the typical questions. The way he takes apart a Zohar/Bahir/Sefer Yetzira with an analytical thoroughness reminiscent of Ramban’s perush.
So what happened two weeks ago? I got a copy of the Sefer Elima Rabati of the Remaq. Wow. I didn’t know but the Tomar Devorah is actually prefaced by a thousand page hakdama based on the pasuk in Beshalakh after the first incident of striking the rock which says “and they came to Elimah and there - twelve einot mayim and seventy tmarim”. Accordingly he divides the sefer into twelve large sections called “Einot” and 70 smaller sections called “Tmarim” where he gives an apparently thorough introduction to the sefirot/midot, helqei nefesh, hashgacha, partzufim, Torah shebichtav and be’al peh etc. It suggests that sicha where R Nachman says of the Etz Haym that it is a wonderful musar sefer, except that the Remaq appears to be doing it explicitly. After 70 “tmarim” of qabalistic introduction he presents the “tomar” of explicit musar practice which is the takhlit of the whole sefer.
You may remember me telling you about Kuzriel Meir, the Vietnam veteran genius IQ guy who I met in Jerusalem who helped with my early intro to the life. He once told me that he and his mentor held the opinion that the reason for the qilqulim that happened since the Zfat era (Sabbateanism/Frankism/communism, etc) was that people went with the Ari over the Remaq. The issue is more nuanced than that but it seems there could be something to it.
There were more extraordinary difficulties getting the Remaq’s seforim into print (according to R Nachman’s principle that the m’niot are according to the nechshaq.) The Remaq’s presentation is more thorough and better organized than the kitvei Ari. The writing is better. And in particular his handling of the major stumbling blocks is better - on the subject of hagshamah the only thing I remember on this from kitvei Ari is they tell you not to do it. The Remaq on the other hand gives an explanation that obviates the whole problem.
You can get the current blue Pardes from bookstores. The current Sefer Elimah can be ordered from a bookstore. The publisher is “Nezer Shraga”.
—
Actually I never read the Four Hundred Shekels but if you would have asked me two weeks ago I would have answered the Pardes Rimonim of the Remaq. I got it a year and a half ago on the recommendation of the Gra from the Sefer Keter Rosh (the entry on Qabala where he says it’s good to learn the Pardes). It was the most excited I’ve been about a sefer since discovering the Ramban’s Perush al haTorah. The most satisfying and ingenious explanations about the typical questions. The way he takes apart a Zohar/Bahir/Sefer Yetzira with an analytical thoroughness reminiscent of Ramban’s perush.
So what happened two weeks ago? I got a copy of the Sefer Elima Rabati of the Remaq. Wow. I didn’t know but the Tomar Devorah is actually prefaced by a thousand page hakdama based on the pasuk in Beshalakh after the first incident of striking the rock which says “and they came to Elimah and there - twelve einot mayim and seventy tmarim”. Accordingly he divides the sefer into twelve large sections called “Einot” and 70 smaller sections called “Tmarim” where he gives an apparently thorough introduction to the sefirot/midot, helqei nefesh, hashgacha, partzufim, Torah shebichtav and be’al peh etc. It suggests that sicha where R Nachman says of the Etz Haym that it is a wonderful musar sefer, except that the Remaq appears to be doing it explicitly. After 70 “tmarim” of qabalistic introduction he presents the “tomar” of explicit musar practice which is the takhlit of the whole sefer.
You may remember me telling you about Kuzriel Meir, the Vietnam veteran genius IQ guy who I met in Jerusalem who helped with my early intro to the life. He once told me that he and his mentor held the opinion that the reason for the qilqulim that happened since the Zfat era (Sabbateanism/Frankism/communism, etc) was that people went with the Ari over the Remaq. The issue is more nuanced than that but it seems there could be something to it.
There were more extraordinary difficulties getting the Remaq’s seforim into print (according to R Nachman’s principle that the m’niot are according to the nechshaq.) The Remaq’s presentation is more thorough and better organized than the kitvei Ari. The writing is better. And in particular his handling of the major stumbling blocks is better - on the subject of hagshamah the only thing I remember on this from kitvei Ari is they tell you not to do it. The Remaq on the other hand gives an explanation that obviates the whole problem.
You can get the current blue Pardes from bookstores. The current Sefer Elimah can be ordered from a bookstore. The publisher is “Nezer Shraga”.
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