Printed fromkabbalaonline.org
ב"ה
About
|
Subscriptions
Subscribe to KabbalaOnLine Magazine
View all subscriptions »
|
Donate
|
Send a Prayer
Ask the Kabbalist
|
Glossary
|
Famous Sages
What is Kabbalah? History of Kabbalah First Steps Recommended Resources FAQ's
Basics
Self-Improvement Love & Marriage Money & Business Daily Activities Life Cycle Events Mitzvah Observance
Kabbalah & Me
Gender Issues Non-Jews Current Events Culture Science
Kabbalah & Society
Send-a-Prayer Jewish Meditation Divine Names Holy Letters Weekday Prayer Shabbat/Holiday Prayers
Meditation & Prayer
Holy Ari The Zohar Gate of Reincarnations Other Safed Kabbalists Other Major Kabbalists Contemporary Kabbalists
Classic Kabbalah
Weekly Torah Holidays Chassidic Illumination Major Concepts Magazine Multimedia
Current Torah Portion Archives Daily Zohar - Hok L'Yisrael
Shavuot Shabbat New Moon Rosh Hashanah Yom Kippur Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah Chanukah Tu BeShevat Purim Passover
Seven Omer Weeks 3 Weeks Elul
Baal Shem Tov Baal HaTanya - ChaBaD Chasidic Schools
Creation Souls Destiny The Holy Land World Peace Personalities
Current Issue Archives
Audio / Video Art
+ More
SEARCH
ב"ה
Basics History of Kabbalah

Authenticity of the Zohar

 Beginner
By Moshe Miller
The Zohar's Mysterious Origins
The Zohar was produced by generations of masters and disciples.
The Book of Zohar, the primary text of the Kabbalah, contains the teachings and doings of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai and his disciples, who flourished in the Land of Israel in the second century.
26 Comments
Arguments of the Skeptics
Comments from "Higher Criticism"
6 Comments
Responses to the Claims of the Skeptics
Review of the critics...
9 Comments
Other Claims and Responses
They weren't doing their homework....
5 Comments
Other Claims and Responses (Continued)
Torah vocabulary and ideas...
17 Comments

Join the Discussion

Sort By:
15 Comments
Posting Guidelines
characters remaining
Webmaster via kabbalaonline.org March 5, 2012

To: Anonymous in Brooklyn To learn more about Zohar, you can start in our Zohar folder. Just click on "Classic Kabbalah in the left menu on any page Reply

Anonymous brooklyn, ny March 3, 2012

zohar I wish to learn more about the zohar. How can I do that online? Reply

Anonymous Tzefat via kabbalaonline.org March 9, 2011

Re: bar-ben Bar Yochai is used sometimes in Midrash too and even occasionally in the Talmud. And more often simply "Rabbi Shimon" and sometimes "Rashbi" where the 'b' can be 'ben' or bar'. Reply

H May 7, 2023
in response to Anonymous:

1. in aramic bar means the same thing as ben. 2. even in hebrew the word בר can be an acronym for "the son of Rabbi..." Reply

David דוד Reghay Flushing February 27, 2011

why "bar" and not "ben"? I believe in the authenticity and holiness of the Zohar, but I have always wanted to know why in the Gemara Rashbi is always referred to as Shimon "Ben" Yochai and not Shimon "Bar" Yochai as he is called by the Zohar. After all, the Gemara is also written in Aramaic yet uses the Hebrew word for son. Are there perhaps other ancient sources such as Midrashim that also use the term "bar"? Thanks, I've searched a lot of the answer to this question and have not been able to find one! Reply

פגל משיח October 15, 2022
in response to David דוד Reghay:

מגילה יב"ב, יט"א, שמו"ר ב, ו, תמחומא ויקהל א, א, רות רבה ז, יג, איכה רבה א, כג ונד, וכו Reply

webmaster Tzefat, Israel via kabbalaonline.org December 31, 2010

Zohar from beginning Go to our Zohar section under "Classic Kabbalah" Reply

Zapata via kabbalaonline.org December 20, 2010

Learning i wish learn more of zohar from begining Reply

Yosef via kabbalaonline.org December 20, 2010

Thanks This is a true service to our people. Thank you for this incredibly important work. Reply

Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles June 8, 2010

Reply to JIF from R. Moshe Miller I believe that since the publication of several works by Professor Moshe Idel (current head of Dept of Jewish Mysticism and Kabbalah at the University of Jerusalem) much of Scholem's work on the Zohar has been called into question. Interestingly, Scholem himself wrote a treatise explaining why Moshe de Leon could not possibly have been the author of the Zohar. He suddenly changed his thesis when appointed the head of dept of Jewish Mysticism, without ever disproving his previous proofs. There are those who suspect that he changed his opinion in order to capture that post.
You are right; I could have used more measured tones. Attribute that to the passion of youth. Reply

Josef I Friedman Hillsborough, NJ May 2, 2010

Some Comments on Your Articles As I'm sure you're aware and have even alluded to, Scholem's main conclusion that de Leon is the main author has continued to be accepted although certain details of his analysis have rightly been questioned (such as the quality of the Zohar's Aramaic), as we'd certainly expect in any scholarly exercise. Some of your comments on individuals, seem overly harsh. Reply

Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles October 16, 2009

reply to Art Millerfrom R. Moshe Miller, part 2 In any event, review the verses in Bamidbar 17:11-13 and see the Targum Onkelos and Yerushalmi. This, my friend, is the origin of the phrase itbasma dina – when Aaron was told to use the incense (busmin or busmaya in Aramaic – itbasma is the verb form) to mitigate the plague which was causing people to die – i.e. to overcome the harsh decree with incense [or in general with good deeds that are “a pleasing scent to Hashem”] (which a better translation of the phrase itbasma dina). Why Scholem finds it necessary to dig up some extremely unlikely connection to Spanish instead of looking first and foremost in Jewish literature, I don’t know. Perhaps he had an agenda?

All the best.
Rabbi Moshe Miller Reply

Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles via kabbalaonline.org October 16, 2009

reply to Art Miller from R. Moshe Miller, part 1 I know of no Spanish in the Zohar at all, other than the very dubious claims to the Spanish origins of a couple of words (no more than that!) that Scholem makes in his Major Trends p. 165.

One of those words Scholem believes is spanish in origin is “gardin” (see Major Trends p. 165 footnote 43). How then does he explain the existence of the word in Masechta Avoda Zara 26a and Yalkut Shimoni Vayishlach remez 133 which have the same meaning there as the word in the Zohar eg. Vol. 3 63a? Perhaps Scholem was no expert in the Gemara or in Midrash but he could at least have checked in a Concordance!

The second example Scholem cites (footnote 44) is itbasma dina, usually translated as “to sweeten judgments” or harsh decrees, which he claims comes from the Spanish endulzar. He adds that the Hebrew phrase hamtakat hadin is of much later origin. But a similar phrase (not identical, true, but similar enough, and IN THE SAME SENSE) is used in Bamidbar Rabba 10:3; Mechilta Beshallach 15 and in Talmud Yerushalmi Avodah Zara 2:8. Reply

Ben New York February 26, 2018
in response to Rabbi Yerachmiel Tilles:

in response to Rabbi Moshe Miller via Rabbi Tilles You are referring to the wrong "gardin." It is the word "gardini" Zohar 1:34a:6 which translates to guardian angels. This is clearly Spanish. The "gardin" that you brought down from Avodah Zara 26a and Yalkut Shimoni is referring to a weaver and not an angel. And other places in Shas that prong down the word "gardin" and other words with the same root are all referring to weavers and not angels. Reply

Art Miller Baltimore, Maryland via kabbalaonline.org September 11, 2009

Spanish words found in the Zohar Dear Rabbi Moshe Miller:
Will you tell me why Spanish found its way into the Zohar? The earliest mention of the Spanish language used verbally or in written form was that it was an ougrowth of Vulgar Latin in the Fifth Century, or that it became a "language" in the 9th Century around the time of Charlemagne, and Rabbi Shimon and his colleagues apparently "wrote" the Zohar in the second century when hiding from the Romans, and were living in an area far, far away from Spain -- across the Mediterannean Sea, I believe. Thank you. Reply

Basics
What is Kabbalah?
History of Kabbalah
Timeline of Kabbalah
Authenticity of the Zohar
Biographies of Major Kabbalists
First Steps
Recommended Resources
FAQ's
Quick Links
Contact
Subscribe
Related Topics
  • Kabbalah
  • Kabbalah, History of
Subscribe
Subscribe to KabbalaOnLine Magazine
More subscription options »

The larger, bold text is the direct translation of the classic text source.

The smaller, plain text is the explanation of the translator/editor.
Text with broken underline will provide a popup explanation when rolled over with a mouse.

How to Use this Site About KabbalaOnline Site Map
Weekly Email Kabbala FAQ's Ask the Kabbalist
Magazine Send a Prayer Useful Links
Support KabbalaOnline Ascent of Safed Contact Us
A project of Ascent-of-Safed  •  2 Ari Street, P.O. Box 296 Safed, Israel  •  Tel: 972-4 692-1364