Isaac the Blind

French writer and rabbi (c. 1160–1235)

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History

|  Pre-Kabbalistic Jewish mysticism

* Tannaim
* Heichalot
* Sefer Yetzirah
* Chassidei Ashkenaz

Medieval

* Bahir
* Toledano tradition
* Prophetic Kabbalah
* Zohar

Kabbalistic commentaries
on the Bible

Mainstream displacement of
rationalism with Kabbalah

Renaissance

Selective influence on
Western thought

* Hermetic Qabalah

Mysticism after
Spanish expulsion

Mystics of
16th-century Safed

* Cordoveran Kabbalah
* Lurianic Kabbalah
* Maharal's thought

Popular Kabbalistic
Mussar

Early modern

* Baal Shem-Nistarim
* Sabbatean mystical heresies
* Emden–Eybeschutz controversy
* Immigration to the Land of Israel
* Traditional Oriental Kabbalists
* Beit El Synagogue
* Eastern European Judaism
* Hasidic Judaism / philosophy
* Lithuanian Jews
* Hasidic-Mitnagdic schism

Modern

* Hasidic dynasties

Mysticism in
religious Zionism

Academic interest in
Jewish mysticism

Non-Orthodox interest in
Jewish mysticism

* English
* James Lees'

Practices

* Torah study
* Mystical exegesis
* Mitzvot
* Minhag
* Customary immersion in mikveh
* Meditation
* Kavanot
* Teshuvah
* Deveikut
* Prayer
* Nusach
* Tikkun Chatzot
* Tikkun Leil Shavuot
* Pilgrimage to Tzadik
* Pilgrimage to holy grave
* Lag BaOmer at Meron
* Asceticism
* Rosicrucianism
* Practical Kabbalah

People

|  100s

* Four Who Entered the Pardes
* Simeon bar Yochai
* Akiva ben Joseph

1100s

* Isaac the Blind
* Azriel
* Judah ben Kalonymus

1200s

* Nahmanides
* Abraham Abulafia
* Joseph ben Abraham Gikatilla
* Moses de Leon
* Menahem Recanati
* Judah Ha-Hasid
* Eleazar of Worms
* Isaac ben Moses of Vienna
* Abraham ben Isaac of Granada

1300s

* Bahya ben Asher

1400s

* Shem Tov ibn Shem Tov
* Yohanan Alemanno
* Moses Botarel
* Joseph De La Reina

1500s

* Meir ibn Gabbai
* Joseph Karo
* Shlomo Alkabetz
* Elijah Ba'al Shem of Chełm
* Moshe Alshich
* Moses ben Jacob Cordovero
* Isaac Luria
* Chaim Vital
* Mordechai HaKohen of Safed
* Kalonymus Haberkasten
* Joseph Saragossi

1600s

* Judah Loew ben Bezalel
* Isaiah Horowitz
* Eliyahu Baal Shem Ben Yosef Yutzpa
* Abraham Azulai
* Shimon Lavi
* Joel Sirkis
* Elijah Loans
* Yoel Baal Shem
* Shabbatai HaKohen
* Jacob ben Aaron Sasportas

1700s

* Chaim ibn Attar
* Naphtali Cohen
* Joseph Ergas
* Hayyim Samuel Jacob Falk
* Jonathan Eybeschutz
* Baal Shem Tov
* Dov Ber of Mezeritch
* Moshe Chaim Luzzatto
* Shalom Sharabi
* Vilna Gaon
* Chaim Joseph David Azulai
* Nathan Adler
* Schneur Zalman of Liadi
* Chaim Volozhin

1800s

* Nachman of Breslov
* Tzvi Hirsh of Zidichov
* Ben Ish Chai
* Shlomo Eliyashiv
* Chaim Pinto
* Yedidyah Raphael Chai Abulafiya
* Chaim Yehuda Leib Auerbach

1900s

* Aharon Roth
* Yehudah Yudel Rosenberg
* Solomon Eliezer Alfandari
* Baba Sali
* Sholom Dovber Schneersohn
* Abraham Isaac Kook
* Salman Eliyahu
* Yaakov Chaim Sofer
* Levi Yitzchak Schneerson
* Yehuda Fatiyah
* Hillel Zeitlin
* Kalonymus Kalman Shapira
* Yehuda Ashlag
* Yitzhak Kaduri
* Yechiel Fishel Eisenbach
* Monsieur Chouchani
* Baruch Shalom HaLevi Ashlag
* Mordechai Sharabi
* Aryeh Kaplan
* Menachem Mendel Schneerson

2000s

* Avraham Brandwein
* Menachem Froman
* Eliyahu Leon Levi
* Adin Steinsaltz
* Gamliel Rabinowitz
* Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto
* Moshe Weinberger
* Yitzchak Meir Morgenstern
* Avraham Mordechai Gottlieb

Role

|  History

* Torah
* Tanakh
* Prophecy
* Ruach HaKodesh
* Pardes exegesis
* Talmudical hermeneutics
* Midrash

Jewish commentaries
on the Bible

* Oral Torah
* Eras of Rabbinic Judaism
* Generational descent in Halacha
* Generational ascent in Kabbalah
* Rabbinic literature
* Talmudic theology
* Halakha
* Aggadah
* Hakira
* Classic Mussar literature
* Ashkenazi Judaism
* Sephardi Judaism
* Modern Jewish philosophies
* Jewish studies

Topics

* God in Judaism
* Divine transcendence
* Divine immanence
* Free will
* Divine providence

Kabbalistic reasons
for the 613 Mitzvot

* Jewish principles of faith
* Jewish eschatology
* Primary texts

* v
* t
* e

Isaac the Blind (Hebrew: רַבִּי יִצְחַק סַגִּי נְהוֹר Rabbī Yīṣḥaq Saggī Nəhōr, literally "Rabbi Isaac, of much light"; c. 1160–1235 in Provence, France), was a French rabbi and a famous writer on Kabbalah (Jewish mysticism). The Aramaic epithet "Saggi Nehor" means "of Much Light" in the sense of having excellent eyesight, an ironic euphemism for being blind.[1] Some historians suspect him to be the author of the Book of the Bahir, an important early text of Kabbalah. Others (especially Gershom Scholem, see his Origins of the Kabbalah, p. 253) characterize this view as an "erroneous and totally unfounded hypothesis".

Isaac was the son of the famous talmudist Abraham ben David of Posquières (Raavad).

The Bahir first appeared in the Middle Ages, around 1200 CE in France. It discusses a number of ideas that became important for Kabbalah, and even though the origins of the anonymous work are obscure, there were important Kabbalists who were writing at the same time in France. The most influential of these was Isaac the Blind.

## Isaac the Blind's mystical concepts

[edit]

Image popularly thought to be a portrait of Isaac

Isaac considered the sefirot as having their origins in a hidden and infinite level deep within the Ayn Sof, or Divine Being (lit. That Without End).

He believed that from the Ayn Sof emanated Makhshava (Divine Thought), which was the first supernatural quality. The rest of the sefirot emanated from the Divine Thought. Individual beings in the world are material manifestation of the sefirot, albeit on a lower level of reality. Mystic experience aids in reascending the levels of emanations to unite with Divine Thought.

The most famous student of Isaac was Azriel of Gerona.

## See also

[edit]

* Hachmei Provence
* Aaron of Cardena
* Girona Synagogue

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Raphael, Simcha Paull (April 15, 2019). Jewish Views of the Afterlife. Rowman & Littlefield. p. 229\. ISBN 9781538103463.

* v
* t
* e

Rishonim

North Africa|

* Isaac Alfasi (Rif)
* Chananel ben Chushiel
* Dunash ben Labrat
* Zechariah Aghmati
* Nissim ben Jacob
* Samuel ben Jacob ibn Jam
* Shemariah ben Elhanan

Spain (except Catalonia)|

* Maimonides
* Judah Halevi
* Abraham ibn Ezra
* Yom Tov Asevilli (Ritva)
* Joseph ibn Migash (Ri Migash)
* Meir Abulafia (Ramah)
* Bahya ibn Paquda
* Bahya ben Asher
* David Abudirham
* Joseph Albo
* Isaac ben Moses Arama (Akeidat Yitzchak)
* Rabbenu Yerucham
* Shem Tov ben Abraham ibn Gaon (Migdal Oz)
* Meir ben Solomon Abi-Sahula
* Isaac ibn Ghiyyat
* Maimon ben Joseph
* Isaac Aboab I
* Abraham ibn Daud
* Moses ibn Ezra
* Jonah ibn Janah
* Abraham Saba

Catalonia|

* Nachmanides
* Menachem HaMeiri
* Nissim of Gerona (Ran)
* Shlomo ibn Aderet (Rashba)
* Yonah Gerondi (Rabbeinu Yonah)
* Zerachiah ha-Levi of Girona (Baal HaMaor)
* Hasdai Crescas
* Aharon HaLevi (Ra'ah)
* Isaac ben Sheshet (Rivash)
* Simeon ben Zemah Duran (Tashbatz)
* Vidal of Tolosa (Maggid Mishneh)
* Joseph ibn Habib (Nimmukei Yosef)
* Azriel of Gerona
* Judah ben Yakar
* Judah ben Barzillai

Provence|

* Hachmei Provence
* Abraham ben David (Raavad)
* Gersonides (Ralbag)
* David Kimhi (Radak)
* Abba Mari
* Isaac ben Abba Mari (HaIttur)
* Abraham ben Nathan (HaManhig)
* David ben Levi of Narbonne (HaMichtam)
* Moses ben Joseph (Rambi)
* Abraham ben Isaac of Narbonne (Raavad II, HaEshkol)
* Levi ben Abraham ben Hayyim
* Moshe ha-Darshan
* Meshullam ben Jacob
* Asher ben Meshullam
* Abraham of Montpellier
* Joseph Caspi
* Isaac the Blind
* Samuel ibn Tibbon
* Isaac of Narbonne
* Aaron ben Jacob ha-Kohen
* Jonathan of Lunel

France (except Provence)|

* Rabbi Abin ha-Gadol
* Rashi
* List of Tosafists
* Rabbeinu Tam
* Rashbam
* Solomon ben Meir
* Samson ben Joseph of Falaise
* Yom Tov of Falaise
* Eliezer ben Samuel (Yereim)
* Isaac ben Samuel (Ri HaZaken)
* Moses ben Jacob of Coucy (Semag)
* Judah ben Nathan (Rivan)
* Bechor Shor
* Abraham ben Joseph of Orleans
* Elijah of Paris
* Judah ben Yom Tov
* Haim ben Hananel HaCohen
* Yechiel of Paris
* Rivam
* Peretz ben Elijah
* Eliezer of Toul
* Chaim Paltiel
* Jacob of Orléans
* Samson of Chinon
* Jacob of Chinon
* Eliezer of Touques
* Isaac ben Abraham of Dampierre
* Elhanan ben Isaac of Dampierre
* Baruch ben Isaac
* Samson ben Abraham of Sens
* Isaac ben Eliezer Halevi
* Meir ben Samuel
* Moses of Évreux
* Samuel of Évreux
* Samuel ben Solomon of Falaise
* Judah ben Isaac Messer Leon
* Joseph ben Samuel Bonfils
* Menahem ben Helbo
* Simeon Kara
* Shemaiah of Soissons
* Elijah ben Menahem HaZaken
* Ephraim ben Samson

Germany|

* Meshullam ben Kalonymus
* Gershom ben Judah (Rabbeinu Gershom)
* Simeon bar Isaac of Mainz
* Asher ben Jehiel (Rosh)
* Jacob ben Asher (Baal HaTurim)
* Mordechai ben Hillel (Mordechai)
* Meir of Rothenburg (Maharam MeRotenberg)
* Yaakov ben Moshe Levi Moelin (Maharil)
* Eliezer ben Nathan (Ra'aven)
* Eliezer ben Joel HaLevi (Raavyah)
* Eleazar of Worms (Rokeach)
* Meir HaKohen (Hagahot Maimuniot)
* Judah ben Samuel of Regensburg (Yehudah haHasid)
* Yaakov ben Yakar
* Isaac ben Mordecai of Regensburg
* Ephraim ben Isaac of Regensburg
* Samson ben Eliezer
* Eliezer ben Isaac ha-Gadol
* Judah ben Kalonymus
* Yehuda HaKohen ben Meir
* Meir ben Baruch Halevi
* Israel Bruna
* Israel of Bamberg
* Ephraim of Bonn
* Judah ben Asher
* Joel ben Isaac ha-Levi
* Jacob ben Judah Landau
* Samuel ben Natronai
* Alexander Suslin
* Jacob Weil
* Isaac ben Asher ha-Levi
* Simha of Speyer
* Isaac Asir HaTikvah

England|

* Aaron of Canterbury
* Aaron of York
* Elias of London
* Eliyahu Menachem of London
* Hagin Deulacres
* Jacob ben Judah of London
* Josce of London
* Moses ben Isaac ben ha-Nessiah
* Moses of London
* Yom Tov of Joigny
* Berechiah de Nicole

Austria|

* Israel Isserlein (Terumat HaDeshen)
* Isaac of Vienna (Or Zarua)
* Avigdor Cohen of Vienna
* Isaac Tyrnau

Italy|

* Nathan ben Jehiel (the Aruch)
* Isaiah di Trani (Rid)
* Isaiah di Trani the Younger (Riaz)
* Obadiah of Bertinoro
* Menahem Recanati
* Zedekiah Anaw (Shibbolei HaLeket)
* Benjamin Anaw
* Judah Anav
* Moses ben Meir of Ferrara
* Eliezer ben Samuel of Verona
* Hillel ben Samuel
* Joseph Colon Trabotto
* Isaac ben Melchizedek
* Judah Messer Leon

Elsewhere|

* Isaac Abarbanel
* Elijah Mizrachi
* Tobiah ben Eliezer (Lekach Tov)
* Zerahiah the Greek
* Isaac ben Dorbolo
* Isaac ben Samuel of Acre
* Moses Taku
* Isaac ben Jacob ha-Lavan
* Nathan ben Abraham I
* Hillel ben Eliakim
* Judah Leon ben Moses Mosconi
* Nethanel ben Isaiah‎

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* FAST
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Israel
* Catalonia

Other|

* IdRef
* Yale LUX

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