Zohar

The Zohar (in Hebrew זהר zohar, "splendor") is, together with the Séfer Yetzira, the central book of the Kabbalistic current, written by Shimon bar Yojai in the century. II, or by Mosé ben Sem Tob de León in the XIII century.

The good point that the person finds itself is part of the Divinity, for all good emanates from the Holy, blessed be it. The Torah, the Jewish People and the Holy, blessed be, are a unity (Zohar, Introduction). So when a good point exists in a Jew – a mitzvah or a good action– this good is completely united with the Holy, blessed be it. For “God is good for all” (Psalms 145:9) and it is also written: “Look and see that God is good” (Psalms 34:9). Whatever exists, whatever the form in which it is present, it truly emanates from the Holy, blessed be it.

Content

It is comprised of Biblical exegesis (Midrashim), organized according to the weekly reading portion of the Torah (the weekly parshah). The Zohar is divided into three central bodies:

1. the Zohar original,
2. the "Send of the Torah" (Sitrei Torah) and the "Disappeared Commissioner" (haMidrash haNe’elam), and
3. Re’ia Mehimana and “Arrangements” (Tikunim).

The Zohar, or second explanatory work of Kabbalah, has justly been called the "Bible" of the cabalists On its authorship, two points of view have been used since ancient times:

1. The cabalistic tradition affirms that it was written in Aramaic by Rabbi Shimon bar Yojai, a wise Tanaim of the time of the Mishnah (the Jewish oral law).
2. However, due to multiple aspects, such as not appearing quoted in the Talmud, it is believed that his author was the Jewish philosopher and Rabino Moses of Lion (in Hebrew מה ل ل ك ل ك ي ك أن أن مان ون من ون مان من مان مان مان من مان مان مان مان مان مان مان مان مان مان مان مان مان مان مان مان مان من مان من مان من مان ن مان من مان من مان من مان من مان مان مان مان ت مان مان مان مان من ت Moses of Guadalajara. He was a Sephardic and Rabbi Jewish philosopher. Established in his native Guadalajara, he made about twenty-four writings about the Cabal and in 1286 it is said that he already had much of the Zoharincluding a different version of Midrash. Moses of Leon claimed to be based on ancient manuscripts of the mystical Shimon bar Yojai (centuryII) then it was very common among Jewish writers to attribute their books to classic authors. For this reason his authorship or co-authorship with Bar Yojai is discussed. Investigators like Yeshayahou Leibowitz attribute their authorship to Moses de León, who claimed that "It is as clear that Moses of Lion wrote the Zohar as Theodor Herzl wrote The Jewish State.".

The work is divided into several treatises and analyzes the biblical texts to extract their hidden meaning from them. The universe is divided between the empires of light and darkness, each of them composed of ten spheres.

(translation from English page): The Zohar is the foundational work in the literature of Jewish mystical thought known as Kabbalah (or Kabbalah). It is a group of books that includes commentaries on the mystical aspects of the Torah (the five books of Moses) and biblical interpretations, as well as material on theology, theosophy, cosmogony, and mystical psychology. The Zohar contains a discussion about the nature of God, the origin and structure of the Universe, the nature of souls, redemption, the Ego-Darkness relationship and the union of the "true self" with the "Light of God", and the relationship between "universal energy" and man. His interpretation of the Scriptures can be considered as an esoteric form of rabbinic literature known as the Midrash, a method of study and analysis of the Holy Scriptures, which develops the understanding and interpretation of the holy Torah.

The Zohar is mostly written in what has been described as an exalted and eccentric style of Aramaic, a language spoken in the Land of Israel (Eretz Israel), during the Roman period in the first centuries of the common era.

The Zohar reappeared again in the 13th century, and was published by a writer Jew named Moisés de León. Moisés de León attributed the work to Shimon bar Yojai, a rabbi of the II century who lived during the Roman persecution, and who according to Jewish tradition, he hid from the Roman Empire in a cave, and for 13 years dedicated himself to Torah study with his son Rabbi Eleazar. During this period he was inspired by the prophet Elijah to write the Zohar. This is consistent with the traditional claim made by supporters of Kabbalah that Kabbalah is a hidden part of the Oral Torah.

The opinion of the religious majority in traditional rabbinic Judaism has been that the teachings of Kabbalah were revealed by God to Biblical figures, such as Abraham and Moses (Moshe Rabbeinu), and that they were passed down orally from Biblical times until its writing by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. Gershom Scholem makes an academic analysis of the Zohar and has theorized that Moses de León was the author of the work. However, for the Jewish and non-Jewish groups that practice and study Kabbalah, this is a secondary issue, since it has not been possible to fully verify one or the other position. It seems logical to think that if Moisés de León claimed to have based himself on ancient manuscripts by Shimon bar Yojai (II century), we could be faced with a contribution after several centuries away or before a discovery of the manuscripts that traveled from Israel to Europe over the years.

Some Jewish sectors, mainly non-Orthodox, conform to views like Gershom Scholem's. However, the Zohar is still considered with an enriching perspective that promotes a more practical sense for modern Judaism.