Bidspirit auction | Zohar Controversy Ben Yochai The

Zohar Controversy Ben Yochai The First Sefer Devoted Entirely to Teachings of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai Vienna, 1815 * A groundbreaking chiddush was introduced by Rabbi Moshe Kunitz in this sefer: every time the name “Rabbi Shimon” appears in the Talmud or Midrash, it refers to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai before he entered the cave in Peki’in, whereas whenever the name “ben Yochai” or the full name “Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai” appears, it refers to him after emerging from the cave! This is the reason he called his sefer Ben Yochai, in which he compiles the sayings of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai from the Talmud Bavli, Yerushalmi, and Midrashim, and uses them to support his thesis. The title page features a rare, and possibly unique, engraving of the cave of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai! The seventh section of the sefer is devoted entirely to refuting the arguments of the Yaavetz (in his Mitpachas Sefarim, Altona 1768) who challenged the attribution of the Zohar to Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, and Rabbi Kunitz responds at length according to his aforementioned approach. Rabbi Moshe Kunitz (1774–1837), a primary disciple of the Gadol Hador Maharam Mintz, succeeded him as Rav of Obuda, Hungary (today part of Budapest). He authored works on a range of topics, including Ben Yochai, which he labored on for eight years, Hametzaref, HaOyen, and more. However, some of the leading Rabbanim of his time did not accept his views. A large and impressive sefer with wide margins, height: 40.5 cm! Vienna, 1815. First edition. Page Count: 154 pages. A few leaves are slightly smaller than the rest. Condition: Generally good to fair: holes in the inner margins, some affecting a few words slightly. Tears on the edge of one leaf. Antique binding (worn) with a new spine. Provenance: William Gross Collection, Tel Aviv.