Moses Cordovero

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Rabbi Mose ben Jakob Cordovero (* 1522 - † May 27, 1570 ), acronym : RaMaK , was one of the most important Jewish mystics and Kabbalists . He taught from 1540 until his death in the Galilean town of Safed (Hebrew "Zefat"), which is considered the most important center of the spiritual tradition of Judaism .

Biographical

Cordovero's ancestors belonged to Sephardic Judaism and came from the Iberian Peninsula . They were forced to flee after the Jews were expelled from Spain in 1492 . Cordovero's birthplace is unknown. Only the beginning of his stay in Safed in 1540 is certain. There he studied for several years with the rabbis Josef Karo (1488–1575), the author of Shulchan Aruch , and Schlomo ha-Levi Alkabez (1505–1576). The most important student of Cordovero was the Kabbalist Isaak Luria .

Teaching

Cordovero worked as a teacher of Torah and Talmud as well as a lawyer and judge. He also wrote several spiritual writings. These are mainly influenced by the main work of Kabbalah, the Book of Zohar , and comment on it. His main work is the extensive work Pardes Rimonim (Hebrew: 'Garden of Pomegranates'), in which he shows the dynamics of creation in 32 “gates” as ways and stations to attain wisdom. The image of the 32 gates comes from one of the oldest works of Kabbalah, the Sefer Jetzira . The dimensions of this path correspond to the 10 Sephiroth . In addition to ethical considerations, the work also contains teachings on the mystical content of the Hebrew language .

In his other writings, especially Tomer Debora ('Debora Palm Tree'), Cordovero emphasizes the indissoluble unity of spiritual knowledge and ethical action. For this he uses the image of a human "imitation of God" who lovingly turns to the world and to people.

Works

  • Pardes Rimonim (Garden of the Pomegranates, 1548, first printed in Saloniki 1584)
  • Or ne'erav (Kind Light, 1547–1570, Venice 1587)
  • Sefer Geruschin (Book of Divorces, with Maggid Revelation, 1550 - Venice printed 1553/1602)
  • Shi'ur Koma (measure of height, 1550–1570 - printed in Warsaw 1883)
  • Tomer Deborah (palm tree of Deborah, 1560–1568 - printed Venice 1589)
  • Or jaqar (Precious Light, Commentary on the Zohar, 1550–1570)
  • Elimah [Rabbati] (after Elim [cf. Ex 15.27], 1560–1568, Lemberg 1881)
  • Perush Seder Avodat Yom-Ha-Kippurim (Venice 1587)
  • Sivche Shlamim (Lublin 1613)
  • Tefilla le-Moshe (Przemysl 1892)

literature

  • R. Moses Cordovero by Zefat: Tomer Deborah - The palm tree of Deborah. A mystical ethic of radical mercy . With an introduction by Klaus Schäfer. Lambertus, Freiburg 2003, ISBN 3-7841-1509-8 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Cordovero, Moses
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Cordovero, Mose ben Jakob (full name); RaMaK (acronym)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Jewish mystic and Kabbalist
DATE OF BIRTH 1522
DATE OF DEATH May 27, 1570