Extension:Ex-1.6.3-2
Commentaries on the Zohar
Alongside his halakhic oeuvre and his philosophical writings, Rema also wrote commentaries on Zohar – the central work of Kabbalah that originated in Spain and was printed in Italy. The story of Rema’s Zohar commentaries is linked to Kraków and to his halakhic legacy. As a student in Kraków, Eliyahu ben Mosheh Loans, later known as Rabbi Eliyahu Baʻal Shem of Worms (1564-1636) copied Darkhei Mosheh from Rema’s autograph manuscript. At least part of this copy has survived: some sections are held in Trinity College, University of Cambridge and some in the Bodleian Libraries, University of Oxford.
Rema’s brother, Eliʻezer, appreciated Eliyahu’s work and expressed the hope that Darkhei Mosheh would be printed thanks to these efforts. As a token of gratitude, Eliʻezer allowed Eliyahu to copy Rema’s Zohar commentaries. Years later, Rabbi Eliyahu inserted selections of Rema’s commentaries into his own Zohar commentary, titled Aderet Eliyahu.
The Zohar commentaries written by Rema in Kraków may well be the first Ashkenazi commentary on the Zohar. Despite its novelty and the importance of its author, Rema’s Zohar commentaries remain in manuscript form and have yet to gain their rightful place in the annals of Kabbalah.