"The Zóhar is the poem mystic most powerful ever written in Hebrew or aramaic; in its pages, the universe becomes a revelation constant of the divine"
Gershom Scholem, Major Trends in Jewish Mysticism” (1941)

1) What it is and why it matters

The Sefer ha-Zóhar (“Book of Splendor”) is the classic text of jewish mysticism (kabbalah). It is, in its primary form, a mystical commentary-midráshico the Pentateuch into aramaic, which reconfigured the theology jewish since the late Middle Ages onwards. Its centrality is reflected in the fact that a good part of the kabbalah post —Safed s. XVI, jasidismo s. XVIII-XIX— builds “from” him.

2) Language, literary form, and the internal voices

• Language: aramaic “zohárico”, an idiolect literary medieval with hebraisms, rubbings talmudic and aramaic galileo/babylonian mixed. The thesis classic called “artificial”; more recent work (e.g., A. Damsma, according to Yehuda Liebes/Mopsik) color: it is a idiolect consisting of the school castellana.
• Shape: stories and homilies where Rabbi Shimon bar Yojái (Rashbí) and your “jévraya” dialogue, interspersed exegesis symbolic, theosophy, theurgy, and ethics.

3) Composition and authorship: tradition vs. critical

• Attribution-traditional: the work revealed Rashbí (II century), hidden and transmitted esoterically.
• Academic critique (consensus main): composite Castile in the s. XIII and associated Moshe de Leon (Moses de León), possibly with layers and multiple hands; seudepígrafica in voice of Rashbí. This reading was articulated canonically by Gershom Scholem and developed (with nuances) by Liebes and Ronit Meroz, among others.

4) History textual, manuscripts and printing

• First impressions: Mantua 1558-1560 (3 vols.), Cremona 1558 (1 volume) and Thessaloniki 1597; Tiqquné/Tikkunéi Zóhar it is printed on Mantua 1557. “Zóhar Jadash” add parts found later. These issues set the canon with variants of each other.
• Canon publisher: recent research highlight how to Mantua normalized corpus in the plural, with an impact of identity in judaism, early modern.
• Modern appeal key: The Zohar: Pritzker Edition (Stanford Univ. Press), critical edition with translation and notes (Daniel C. Matt, Joel Hecker, Nathan Wolski), 12 vols.. Is today a reference academic standard.

5) Structure of the corpus (main building blocks)

1. Zóhar ‘al hatorah (on Genesis–Deuteronomy).
2. Sifra di-Tzeniutá (“Book of Discretion/Caution”): passages cryptic on fumes.
3. Idrá Rabbá e Idrá Zutá: assemblies mystical initiatory around Rashbí.
4. Stripe Mehemná (“Pastor Faithful”): dialogues on mitzvot and secrets.
5. Tikkunéi Zóhar: 70 “tikkunim” or reads the first word of Genesis (bereishit); parallel work, from taste of its own.
6. Zóhar Jadashmaterials: “new” added after the first editions.

6) theosophical Doctrine (cores)

• Ein Sof: the Infinite, unknowable.
• Ten sefirot: emanations of divine dynamically linked (love/rigor, male/female), articulated in partzufim and tree; the Shechinah (female) as “Presence” and “Community of Israel”), which requires unification with the male aspect.
• Theurgy and kavaná: the mitzvot and prayer, with the right intention, repair (tiqqun) imbalances in the top and in the world.
• Anthropology/moral: the human being is cooperating in the union of the sefirot and the tiqqun ha-olam through actions, sexuality, sanctified, charity and study.

7) Hermeneutics and method

The Zóhar operates as midrash mystic: read the Torah at multiple levels (peshat/remez/derash/sod), privileging sod (secret) and remez (allusion). The result is a narrative-exegetical where the story conveys theosophy and ethics —a “tissue performative” studied by the research literary contemporary.

8) recurring Themes (map fast)

• Creation/emanation: of the Ein Sof the sefirot; balance/imbalance.
• Evil and “sitra ajrá”: “the other side” as distortion parasitic divine flow.
• Shechinah in exile: redemption reunification; the Shabbat as the culmination.
• Eroticism sacred: metaphors wedding for the divine-human (song of Songs).

9) acceptance and historic impact

• Safed s. XVI (Cordovero/Luria): systematization zohárica (R. Moshe Cordovero) and reconstruction theosophical (R. Yitzchak Luria, “ha-Ari”), both based on the Zóhar.
• Jasidismo: re-reading devotional-existential legacy zohárico from the EIGHTEENTH century.
• Projection extra-jewish: echoes in the kabbalah christian renaissance.
• Disputes: debates about authorship, use “popular” of esotericism and its role in messianic movements (e.g., the SEVENTEENTH century). Much modern scholarship (Scholem and school) reworked origins, sources and layers editorial.

10) Editions, translations, and study today

• Pritzker Edition (SUP): critical translation is commented out (12 vols.), excellent basis for academic work and guided reading.
• Heritage resources: the National library of Israel preserves printed and early manuscripts; useful to see variants and material iconográfico.

11) How to read it (suggested itinerary of study)

1. Context: review kabbalah pre-zohárica (Sefer Yetzirá, Bahir) for notions base.
2. Genesis (Bereshit): enter the first pericopios of the Zóhar with introductions and notes (Pritzker).
3. Idrót (Idrá Rabbá/Zutá) to theosophy “high”;
4. Tikkunéi Zóhar for the hermeneutic multiplicative;
5. Secondary: Scholem (synthesis of historical-critical), Liebes/Meroz (layers, and aramaic).

12) Glossary minimum

• Ein Sof: the Infinite; the source of the fumes.
• Sephiroth: ten powers/divine attributes in dynamic flow.
• Shechinah: immanent presence (female); a “Community of Israel”.
• Partzufim: configurations of the sefirot in the faces/people.
• Kavaná: intended mystical in mitzvot and prayer.
• Tiqqun: repair/rectification cosmic.