Rabbi Moshe Chiam Luzzatto (the "RaMChal") is considered one of the most brilliant philosophers and Kabbalists of the 18th century. His book, Derech HaShem ("The Way of God"), is considered by some to be one of the most important works of Esoteric Judaism ever written, and is certainly an authentic redaction of the Torah Sh'Baal Peh ("Oral Scripture") given to Moses by God on Mt.Sinai over four thousand years ago.

The late Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan, himself a Kabbalist of no small stature, wrote of the RaMChaL, whose works are studied today in every Orthodox Jewish Seminary:, wrote

"More and more . . . people are also realizing that Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto was one of the most brilliant thinkers of the past several centuries. Both his depth of thought and systematic mind are evident in all this works which are literally filled with important basic insights. Over two hundred years ago, Rabbi Eliahu, the famed Vilna Gaon [and arch enemy of the Baal Shem Tov], declared that Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto had the most profound understanding of Judaism that any mortal human could attain. He furthermore stated that if Luzzatto were alive in his generation, he would go by foot from Vilna to Italy to sit at his feet and learn from him." (Translator's Forward, Derech HaShem, 1983 edition, page 15.)

Yakov Leib haKohain

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