Q&A: The Rabbi’s View of the Book of the Zohar
Originally published:
This is an English translation (via GPT-5.4). Read the original Hebrew version.
The Rabbi’s View of the Book of the Zohar
Question
I’ve seen many serious objections raised against the Book of the Zohar,
and perhaps it is entirely a forgery and not a serious work.
Is the Rabbi familiar with this topic?
Does the Rabbi have an assessment of who wrote it and what exactly it is?
Answer
I didn’t understand the question. What objections? What exactly is the question?
The Zohar contains kabbalistic claims. It was probably edited in the Middle Ages, but it includes earlier sources. There is earlier mystical literature, so Rabbi Moses de León certainly did not invent Kabbalah. Now it depends which objections you mean. As for the content—they should be rejected. As for contradictions—they should be resolved. As for the author and the period of composition—it is indeed probably late.