E-Lectures Glossary
Rabbi Menahem RecanatiRabbi Menahem ben Benymin Recanati was a Halakhist and Kabbalist, who lived and was active in Italy, in the late 13th century to the early 14th century. Virtually nothing is known of his life, but several of his writings survive, including a number of Kabbalistic works -- Perush al ha-Tora, Perush Ta'amei ha-Mitzvot, Perush ha-Tefillot -- and his halakhic work -- Piskei Halakhot. Mattathias Delacrut and Mordechai jaffe both wrote commentaries on Recanati's Perush al haTorah in the sixteenth century (Jaffe's commentary is titled Beur Levush Even Yekarah). Moshe Idel has shown that it is likely that Recanati also wrote a commentary on a small part of the Zohar.Recanati used many different works, and many earlier doctrines have survived only in his writings, but he does not always quote his sources. He often uses Nahmanides, Rabbi Ezra and also made reference to Jacob b. Sheshet Gerondi, Asher b. David, Joseph Gikatilla, and Moshe b. Shem Tov de Leon. He was aware of two books written in his time about the resons for the commandments, one by rabbi Joseph of Shushan (mistakenly attributed to Itzkhak ibn Farkhi) and the other by an unknown author. He also used Keter Shem Tov, by Shem Tov ibn Gaon, Sefer ha-Bahir and the Zohar. Recanati was known in the Kabbalistic world for maintaining that the Sefirot are not of the essence of God, but rather just coverings and instruments of God. This opinion is expressed at length in his Taamei ha-Mitzvot, and was referred to by many 16th century kabbalists who dealt with the question of the essence of the Sefirot (e.g. Yitzkhak Mor Hayyim, Elhanan Sagi Nahor, Shelomo Alkabetz and Moshe Cordevero), it was also quoted in full by Judah Hayyat in his commentary to Maarekhet ha-Elohut. [Encyclopedia Judaica vol. 13. p. 1608].
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Israel |