What Makes a Hasidic Commentary to the Zohar Hasidic? Exploring the Hasidic Characteristics of Zohar Commentaries: A Preliminary Inquiry

• In Event: The Reception of Kabbalistic Works in Early Modernity and the Modern Period

Abstract

The Zohar, a kabbalistic anthology mainly authored in 13th-century Castile and arranged as a Torah Commentary, gained recognition as a sacred and authoritative text undergoing canonization since 14th-century Spain. By the 16th century, comprehensive commentaries on the Zohar emerged, often adopting early modern lenses, particularly influenced by Lurianic and Cordoverean traditions. With the rise of Hasidism in the 18th century, new perspectives on existing kabbalistic traditions emerged, as Hasidim engaged in printing and distributing Kabbalistic works. During the late 18th and 19th centuries, various Hasidic teachers produced their own Zohar commentaries, positioning themselves within the kabbalistic tradition while interpreting the sacred text within their own context. However, the categorization of these commentaries as specifically "Hasidic" remains a subject of inquiry. This lecture aims to explore the characteristics that define a Hasidic commentary on the Zohar, drawing from three distinct schools of Hasidic interpretation: Komarno, Habad, and Izbiche-Radzin.

Author

• Leore Sachs-Shmueli, Bar Ilan University