Manuscript
Sodos HaTorah L’HaRamban
Prague, 1575
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Shaarei Orah – Sodos HaTorah L’HaRamban rare and unpublished 16th century kabbalistic manuscript contains the kabbalistic teachings and commentaries from the Ramban on the chumash. In addition the manuscript contains other teachings on topics in kabbalah.
The manuscript written in neat ashkenazic and features a long colophon that notes the year it was authored.
The Ramban’s commentary on the Torah encompasses many fundamental topics in kabbalah which the Ramban often refers to as “sod”. The author collected these from the Ramban’s commentary and created this sefer which he titled
Shaarei Orah.
The manuscript has many text varients from the traditional text we use today.
The end of the sefer features a long colophon that covers most of the leaf in which the author extols the wisdom of kabbalah and the Ramban’s commentary on the Torah.He concludes:
“With the help of heaven, I have completed the sefer
Shaarei Orah today, Wednesday, 4 Elul in the year 1575 ….
At the end of sefer are two important kabbalistic tracts:
1.
Calculation of the Combinations of the 12 Names of Havaya (leaves 53b-55b).
2.
Sod Temunas HaOisyos (leaves 56a-58b) by Rabbi Yom Tov Lipman Milhausen, author of Sefer Hanitzachon. This treatise is fundamental regarding the laws of the
shapes of the letter for writing a sefer torah, the Beis Yosef used it when compiling Hilchos Tefillin Ch. 36.
Leaves 13-14 include a summary of Sefer Harekanati al HaTorah, and the top of the leaf notes the year as 1594!
(Prague), 1575. Page size: 16×15 cm. 58 double-sided leaves in neat handwriting. Titles of parshiyos inscribed in large block letters. First leaf or two of the Ramban’s preface are missing. Good condition.
Father of Kabbalists
The Ramban was called “the G-dly kabbalist to whom all mysteries of wisdom and secrets of Torah were revealed” (Beer Hagolah by Maharal of Prague).He was from the early kabbalists who relayed the golden chain of the Hidden Torah to Klal Yisrael. The secrets of Torah ingrained in the Ramban’s commentary constitute many fundamentals of the wisdom of truth.
Rabbi Chaim Vital writes in his preface to Eitz Chaim in the name of the Arizal: “Regarding the authentic present sifrei kabbalah, my master told us that the chain of kabbalah from the Raavad and his son Rabbi Yosef are clean and pure, and his disciples until the Ramban all received the true kabbalah from the mouth of Eliyahu HaNavie who revealed himself to them.
Gedolei Yisrael throughout the generations referred to the Ramban as “Father of all kabbalists” and “Head of the kabbalists” (Ginas Vradim Orach Chaim Rule 2 Ch. 16; Shu”t Shemesh Tzedakah Orach Chaim Ch. 4).
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