Leon, Moses ben-Shem Tov de

(c. 1240–1305)

   Spanish mystic. Leon is generally believed today to have been the author of the Zohar, the most influential of all works of cabbalistic literature and in some periods actually held in as great esteem as the Bible and the Talmud. He settled in Avila, and some time late in the 1280s or early 1290s began to circulate the manuscript of the Sefer haZohar (‘Book of Splendour’). Written in Aramaic, the book is set in an imaginary Land of Israel and purports to recount discussions between the celebrated 2-century mishnaic teacher, SIMEON BARYOHAI, and his son and disciples. Modern scholars are inclined to believe that Moses de Leon wrote most of the Zohar himself. It became the major literary work of the Cabbala (Jewish mysticism). It is impossible to give more than a hint of the content of this vast work, couched in intricate symbolism and at times impenetrable mythology. Central to the Cabbala, and to the Zohar in particular, is the conception that there are four levels of interpretation of Scripture: the literal, the aggadic, the philosophical or allegorical, and what the author of the Zohar calls raza de-mehemanuta, the secret mystery of faith. Another important Zoharic conception is tikkun, a correction or perfecting which is achieved mainly through prayer. It was no part of the intention of Moses de Leon or of any other Cabbalist to overturn the traditional teaching of rabbinic Judaism. Indeed the great talmudic scholars were often also Cabbalists. 19-century rationalism rejected the Zohar as bizarre and left its study to the charlatans and cranks who hover on the edges of any mystical system. In recent years, though the traditional reverence may be lacking, the book is once more approached with respect, and recognized as a work of fundamental importance in Jewish history.