I thought I’d fill in some blanks before going on with Ramchal’s concentration on sequence.
For one thing, here’s the chronology of the Kabbalists we cited: Ramban (13th Century), Ra’avad (12th Century), R’ Yitzchak Sagi Nahor (13th Century), R’ Azriel (13th Century), R’ Meir Ibn Gabbai (16th Century), R’ Yoseph Gikitilia (13th Century), R’ Racanti (13th Century), and the author of Ma’arechet Elohut (16th Century).
And I’d like to add this about Ari’s concentration on Partzufim. While no one added on to the Sephira and Partzuf system per se, some went in other directions with it. The subject calls for a long discussion but let this suffice. Ramchal concentrated on explaining Ari’s references as we’d mentioned, and others followed in his wake (especially R’ Y.I. Chaver in Pitchei Sha’arim); disciples of the Ba’al Shem Tov addressed certain psychological analogies to the Partzufim (as well as the Sephirot); R’ Yehudah Ashlag (20th Century) addressed certain ethical, psychological and sociological issues suggested by Ari’s revelations; and R’ Shalom Sharabi (18th Century) and his disciples could be said to have added “width” and “heft” to the Sephirot and Partzufim by speaking of their assuming “dimensions” other than linear ones.
(c) 2011 Rabbi Yaakov Feldman
Feel free to contact me at feldman@torah.org
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