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Originally Posted by dybmh
Hello Everyone, just getting caught up on this thread. Also ( I'm a newbie  )
I want to comment on the most recent post and the word "solitude". I think the conventional understanding of the writing of the Zohar by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai is that he had divine assistance while dwelling in the cave. In this way, he was not in solitude.
I think it's an important distinction because otherwise a person may believe that the Zohar is a creation of Rabbi Shimon. |
Shalom!
Just as a heads up, Gershom Scholem, one of the very finest Kabbalistic scholars to ever publish, has noted and demonstrated with actually really good evidence and analysis, that it was Moses de Leon who authored the Zohar. He was also possibly helped by his very good friend and outstanding Kabbalist in medieval Castile Joseph Gikatila. Leon was living in Guadalajara in the heart of Castile at the time in 1280 and there abouts. He writes extensively about this in his book "Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism," and talks about it more in his book "Kabbalah."