RaMHaL רמח"ל Moshe Chaim Luzzatto | |
|---|---|
_-_Wall_painting_in_Acre%2c_Israel.jpg) Wall painting in Acre, Israel | |
| Title | Rabbi |
| Personal life | |
| Born | Moshe Chaim Luzzato 1707 |
| Died | May 16, 1746(1746-05-16) (aged 38–39) |
| Parents |
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| Religious life | |
| Religion | Judaism |
| Yahrtzeit | 26 Iyar 5506 |
Moshe Chaim Luzzatto (Hebrew:משה חיים לוצאטו; alsoMoses Chaim,Moise Vita,Moses Hayyim orLuzzato; 1707 – 16 May 1746), also known by the HebrewacronymRaMCHaL (orRaMHaL;רמח"ל), was an Italian Jewishrabbi,kabbalist, andphilosopher.
Moshe Chaim Luzzatto was born in 1707 in theJewish ghetto ofPadua,Republic of Venice. The son of Jacob Vita and Diamente Luzzatto,[1] he received classical Jewish andItalian education, showing a predilection for literature at a very early age. He may have attended theUniversity of Padua and certainly associated with a group of students there, known to dabble in mysticism andalchemy. With his vast knowledge in religious lore, the arts, and science, he quickly became the dominant figure in that group. His writings demonstrate mastery of theTanakh, theTalmud, the rabbinical commentaries and codes of Jewish law andKabbalah.[2]
At an early age, he began a thorough study of the Hebrew language and of poetic composition. He wroteepithalamia andelegies, a noteworthy example of the latter being the dirge on the death of his teacher Cantarini, a lofty poem of twenty-four verses written in classical Hebrew. Before age 20, he had begun his composition of 150 hymns modeled on the biblical Psalter. In these psalms, composed in conformity with the laws of parallelism, he freed himself from all foreign influences, imitating the style of the Bible so faithfully that his poems seem entirely a renaissance of biblical words and thoughts. They provoked the criticism of the rabbis, however, and were one of the causes of the persecutions to which Luzzatto was later subjected. R. Jacob Poppers of Frankfurt-on-the-Main thought it unpardonable presumption to attempt to equal the "anointed of the God of Jacob". Only two psalms are known of which it can with certainty be said that they belonged to Luzzatto's psalter; in addition seven hymns by him which were sung at the inauguration of the enlarged Spanish synagogue at Padua appeared in the work "Ḥanukkat ha-Maron" (Venice, 1729); but it is not certain whether they were taken from the psalter.[3]
As a youth Luzzatto essayed also dramatic poetry, writing at the age of 17 his first biblical drama, "Shimshon u-Felistim", (of which only fragments have been preserved, in another work of his). This youthful production foreshadows the coming master; it is perfect in versification, simple in language, original and thoughtful in substance. This first large work was followed by the "Leshon Limmudim", a discussion of Hebrew style with a new theory of Hebrew versification, in which the author showed his thorough knowledge of classical rhetoric. It is in a certain sense a scientific demonstration of the neoclassic Italian style, in contrast with the medieval. There is a vast difference between Luzzatto's style, which recalls the simplicity, smoothness, and vigor of the Bible, and the insipid, exaggerated, and affected work of his contemporaries. The book, dedicated to his teacher Bassani, was printed at Mantua 1727, with a text which deviates from the manuscript formerly in the possession of M. S. Ghirondi.[3]
In the same year or somewhat later, Luzzatto wrote his allegorical festival drama "Migdal 'Oz" (or "Tummat Yesharim"), on the occasion of the marriage of his friend Israel Benjamin Bassani. This four-act play, which shows Latin and Italian as well as biblical influence, illustrates the victory of justice over iniquity. It is masterly in versification and melodious in language, the lyrical passages being especially lofty; and it has a wealth of pleasing imagery reminiscent of Guarini's "Pastor Fido". The drama was edited by M. Letteris, and published with notes by S. D. Luzzatto and prolegomena by Franz Delitzsch, Leipsic, 1837.[3]
The turning point in Luzzatto's life came at the age of twenty, when he claimed to have received direct instruction from an angel (known as amaggid). While stories of such encounters with celestial entities were not unknown in kabbalistic circles, it was unheard of for someone of such a young age. His peers were enthralled by his written accounts of these "Divine lessons", but the leading Italian rabbinical authorities were highly suspicious and threatened to excommunicate him. Just decades earlier another young mystic,Sabbatai Zevi (1626–1676), had rocked the Jewish world by claiming to be theMessiah. Although, at one point, Zevi had convinced many European andMiddle Eastern rabbis of his claim, the episode ended with him recanting and converting toIslam. The global Jewish community was still reeling from that, and the similarities between Luzzatto's writings and Zevi's were perceived as being particularly dangerous and heretical. In some of his revelations Luzzato even describedMoses,Abraham andElijah introducing themselves to him and calling him "my mentor", this infuriated many rabbis, especiallyMoshe Hagiz, who considered his writings heretical and ordered the burning of all his writings.[4] Other rumors were spread that Luzzato had authored a new book of Psalms that was meant to supplant the Davidic Psalms in the messianic age, a claim which Luzzato and his mentor Yeshayahu Basan vigorously denied.[5]
These writings, only some of which have survived, are often misunderstood to describe a belief that Luzzatto and his followers were key figures in a messianic drama that was about to take place. In this contentious interpretation, he identified one of his followers as the Messiah, son ofDavid, and assumed for himself the role of Moses, claiming that he was that biblical figure's reincarnation.[citation needed]
After threats ofexcommunication and many arguments, Luzzatto finally came to an understanding with the leading Italian rabbis, including his decision not to write themaggid's lessons or teach mysticism and hand over all his writings to his mentor Yeshayahu Basan. In 1735, Luzzatto leftItaly forAmsterdam, believing that in the more liberal environment there, he would be able to pursue his mystical interests. Passing throughGermany, he appealed to the local rabbinical authorities to protect him from the threats of the Italian rabbis. They refused and forced him to sign a document stating that all the teachings of themaggid were false.
But the controversy was not entirely over yet. Rumors were spread that Luzzato's mentorYeshayahu Basan sympathized with his pupil and even sent him back some of his writings to publish. This caused a major uproar and many heated letters passed betweenMoshe Hagiz andYaakov Poppers and Basan threatening to undermine the latter's authority if he did not hand over the box with Luzzato's writings to the rabbis of Venice. In one letter, Moshe Hagiz, Luzzato's staunchest opponent, calls Luzzato a wretched renegade who betrayed his religion, and lost his portion in theworld to come, calling and urging for the burning of all his writings.[6] Basan was forced to hand over Luzzato's writings to Poppers which he subsequently buried deep in the ground and burnt some of the writings he deemed heretical.[7]
When Luzzatto finally reached Amsterdam, he was able to pursue hisKabbalah studies relatively unhindered. Earning a living as a diamond cutter, he continued writing but refused to teach. It was in this period that he wrote hismagnum opus theMesillat Yesharim (1740), essentially an ethical treatise but with certain mystical underpinnings. The book presents a step-by-step process by which every person can overcome the inclination to sin and might eventually experience a divine inspiration similar to prophecy. Another prominent work,Derekh Hashem (The Way of God) is a concise work on the core theology of Judaism. The same concepts are discussed in brief in a smaller book calledMaamar HaIkarim (the English translation of this book is now available on the Web with the title "Essay on Fundamentals").Da'at Tevunot ("The Knowing Heart") also found its existence in Amsterdam as the missing link between rationality and Kabbalah, a dialogue between the intellect and the soul. On the other hand,Derech Tevunot ("The Way of Understanding") introduces the logic which structures Talmudic debates as a means to understanding the world.
One major rabbinic contemporary who praised Luzzatto's writing was Rabbi Eliyahu of Vilna, theVilna Gaon (1720–1797), who was considered to be the most authoritativeTorah sage of the modern era as well as a great kabbalist himself. He was reputed to have said after reading theMesillat Yesharim, that were Luzzatto still alive, he would have walked from Vilna to learn at Luzzatto's feet.[8][9] He stated that having read the work, the first ten chapters contained not a superfluous word.
Luzzatto also wrote poetry and drama. Although most of it is seemingly secular, some scholars claim to have identified mystical undertones in this body of work as well. His writing is strongly influenced by the Jewish poets ofSpain and by contemporary Italian authors.[citation needed]
The cantor of the Sephardic synagogue in Amsterdam,Abraham Caceres, worked with Luzzatto to set several of his poems to music.[10][11]
Frustrated by his inability to teachKabbalah, Luzzatto leftAmsterdam for theHoly Land in 1743, settling inAcre. Three years later, he and his family died in a plague.
The site of his tomb is unknown. A third-hand account claims his burial place to be near the Talmudic sageRabbi Akiva inTiberias, northern Israel. Other scholars claim to have identified his tomb in the Jewish cemetery ofKafr Yasif. It is noteworthy that many rabbis have made some comparison between the Ramchal and Rabbi Akiva, both during and after his life. Some have gone as far as to claim that the Ramchal was a reincarnation of Rabbi Akiva. The Tiberias site has many more amenities than the Kafr Yassif grave, with an attached synagogue and tourist shops, making it far more popular.
Luzzato's originalsynagogue inAkko was razed by the city'sBedouin ruler,Zahir al-Umar, in 1758, who built a mosque on top of it. In its place, the Jews of Akko received a small building north of the mosque which still functions as a synagogue and bears Luzzato's name.[12]
A century after his death, Luzzatto was rediscovered by theMusar movement, which adopted his ethical works. It was the great Torah ethicist,Israel Salanter (1810–1883), who placed theMessilat Yesharim at the heart of theMusar (ethics) curriculum of the majoryeshivas ofEastern Europe.Derech Hashem, Luzzato's treatise on Jewish theology, eventually came to be considered as an authoritative guide of Jewish theology. The work is a compilation of authoritative opinions found in Talmudic sources.
Most of his writings wereburned, though some did survive. From theZoharic writings, the 70Tikkunim Hadashim reappeared in 1958 against all odds, in themain library of Oxford. "Arrangements" of thoughts, theseTikkunim explicate 70 different essential uses of the last verse of theHumash (the five books of Moses). Supposedly taught word-by-word inAramaic by Luzzatto's "Maggid", they parallel theTikunei haZohar ("Rectifications of the Zohar"), ascribed by some to RabbiSimeon bar Yochai, theRashbi, which describe the 70 fundamental understandings of the first verse of theHumash (Books of Moses).
TheHebrew writers of theHaskalah, the Jewish expression ofthe Enlightenment, greatly admired Luzatto's secular writings and deemed him the founder of modern Hebrew literature. His cousin, the poet Ephraim Luzzatto (1729–1792), also exerted genuine influence on the first stirrings of modern Hebrew poetry.
Following are a selection of other books written by RaMChaL:[13]
One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from a publication now in thepublic domain: Singer, Isidore; et al., eds. (1901–1906)."LUZZATTO (LUZZATTI)".The Jewish Encyclopedia. New York: Funk & Wagnalls.
