SEFER SHA’AREI ORAH AND SEFER SHA’AREI ZEDEK, MANUSCRIPT ON PAPER Joseph Gikatilla [Italy, 16th century]

Eliezer Nahman, possibly Eliezer Nahman Foa, a notable 17^th century Italian Kabbalist (owner's inscription, fol. 1r) —  Solomon Halberstam (shelf no. 335)

Hirschfeld (ms. no. 320); Gershom Scholem in EJ, vol. 7, pp. 564-565; Gates of Light,   translation and introduction by Avi Weinstein (San Francisco, 1994)

Contents

Fols.1r-147v: Sefer Sha’arei Orah (Gates of Light), a detailed explanation of symbolism and of the sefirot in kabbalah by Joseph Gikatilla. The first printed edition was published in Riva di Trento, 1559.

Fols. 149r-235r: Sefer Sha’arei Zedek (Gates of Justice), another treatise on the sefirot by Gikatilla. The first printed edition was published in Riva di Trento, 1561.

Signed by the censors: Luigi da Bologna, 1599; Bernardus Nucertus, Parma (fol. 235r).

The author, Joseph Gikatilla (1248–ca. 1325) was a Spanish kabbalist whose works exerted a profound influence on kabbalism. He studied under Abraham Abulafia, and was at first greatly influenced by Abulafia's ecstatic, prophetic system of kabbalism. However, Gikatilla later showed a greater affinity for philosophy.  Sha'arei Orah is Gikatilla's most influential kabbalistic work. Written before 1293, it is a detailed explanation of kabbalistic symbolism and the designations of the ten sefirot. He adopted a system intermediate between that of the Geronese school of kabbalists and the Zohar. This is one of the first writings to disclose knowledge of portions of the Zohar, although it departs from its approach in several fundamental respects.  Sefer Sha'arei Zedek provides another explanation of the theory of sefirot, reversing their normal succession.