Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, or Ramak for short, lived from 1522-1570 in Safed, Israel. He was one of the most important Kabbalistic thinkers in history, and played a key role in the expansion of Kabbalistic study which turned Safed into the home of Kabbalah. Rabbi Cordovero was a prolific writer, and Pardes Rimonim is only one of but few of his works that have been translated into English. The text is composed in 32-parts and lays a solid foundation of understanding the world of the sefirot, giving a systematic underpinning to Zoharic theosophy for the first time.
Pardes Rimonim has been translated into English by Providence University, but so far only 4 of the 12 volumes have been released. The text is fairly accessible but does require some prior understandings of basic Kabbalistic concepts and an orientation to the contents of Sepher Yetzirah and Sepher Ha-Zohar, since much of the work provides commentary and exegesis on relevant portions of these sacred texts. The clarity of thought is unparalleled for a work of its time and is of tremendous value to students of Kabbalah today. I would recommend that every serious student buy all the volumes that are currently available. Not only for the value of the incredible learning it affords, but also because our purchase of the books helps sponsor the translation project and allows us to see the remaining volumes to be delivered. Here is the review from Amazon.com:
Let's cut to the chase and address the question you must be asking if you clicked on this item:
IF YOU ARE A SERIOUS STUDENT OF KABBALAH, BUY THIS BOOK NOW AND ASK QUESTIONS LATER!
Keep in mind that the publisher is only asking for a higher price for these texts in order to support the translation process by Providence University. Your purchase helps sponsor this translation effort, making it possible for the complete 12-volume set to be eventually produced. We are extremely fortunate to have Rabbi Moshe Cordovero's (RaMaK) masterpiece Pardes Rimonim being made available to English readers.
Rabbi Cordovero was the foremost Kabbalist of his day, thriving at the height of 16th century Safedian Kabbalistic fervor. It is in some ways unfortunate that RaMaK was almost immediately eclipsed by Rabbi Isaac Luria, leading to a major shift in the orientation of Kabbalistic thought right up to the present day. Cordovero focuses on the emanationist perspective, while Luria addressed the Tikkun HaOlam (restoration of the world.) For the most part Rabbi Cordovero's work has been sadly neglected and it is a blessing that he's making a comeback. It was as if the Kabbalistic world forgot that a great Rabbi came right before Luria and exposed the meaning of Kabbalistic metaphysics and theosophy in clear language. The intention of the work was to give clear and lucid expression to the writings that had up to his time been written in esoteric symbolic language, guarded from being understood by all except those who had access to oral instruction.
RaMaK's writing is systematic and philosophical, and his thinking gives us a clear view of the Sephirotic world and its dynamics. Those wanting to really understand how to think about the Sephirot will find all the details in Pardes Rimonim. The format of the text is systematic and encyclopedic. The work is divided into 32 treatises, each with multiple chapters. The chapters usually begin by presenting passages from earlier esoteric texts such as Sepher Yetzirah, the Zohar, the Bahir, and numerious other medieval writings. RaMaK then proceeds to explain the meaning of the passage in clear terms, and the reader's understanding will always be enlightened by the process. This is not to say that it is an easy work, which is a testament to the depth of thinking found here.
The work is organized by structural and philosophical themes. For example, the first treatise is called "Ten and not Nine", and provides detailed exegesis on this keycode from Sepher Yetzirah. Rabbi Cordovero is addressing the structure of the Sephirot: why are they exactly ten and not more or less? He examines the writings of earlier commentators and shows flaws in their thinking. The second treatise deals with a primarily theological/philosophical issue of: what is the reason for the emanation? Why did the emanation happen, what was the purpose for creating the world, and why does man turn toward his source?
The third treatise returns to the primarily structural questions that are taken up in most of the treatises: is the Infinite the same as Crown? He again examines the work of earlier commentators and highlights the subtle flaws in structural understandings. Some thought that Keter is co-substantial with Ain Soph, since some Kabbalistic texts alternatively call Keter "Ain" or "Nothingness" while Chokmah is sometimes called "Rashit" or "Beginning". So does Keter or Chokmah begin the count? This is a difficult question due to the subtlety of the highest levels, but Cordovero gives a thorough analysis and shows how to proceed. The fourth treatise is called "Substance and Vessels". RaMaK demonstrates the errors of earlier commentators who thought the Sephiroth were either substance or vessels, since actually it is both! And RaMaK when explains this difficulty, we really begin to see his genius shine.
It is very tantalizing to read this text, since the work overall is highly interwoven within itself. This is really great because Kabbalistic thought follows this same pattern of self-interconnectedness. For example, in nearly every chapter there is some idea that can only be sufficiently explained by refering to other Sephirotic concepts, and RaMaK enjoys luring the reader deeper into the work by saying such things as: this has not been sufficiently explained, but you will learn more about it in a later treatise. Likewise there are many backward references, and although one's understanding is illuminated greatly on an initial reading, the fullest appreciation would come through re-reading. Thus the book serves both those who desire a good understanding of the Sephirotic world in order to fully appreciate other Kabbalistic authors, but is invaluable to those who feel the dedication to pursue these matters to the fullest. It works good for those who are going to read the book once and move on, but it is pure gold for those who will read it over and over again. There is great potential here for both modest study and intense contemplation.
For those interested in further pursuing Rabbi Moshe Cordovero's work in English, there has been a doctoral dissertation recently written by Dr. Zohar Raviv focusing on RaMaK's life and work. It is called "Fathoming the heights, ascending the depths: Decoding the dogma within the enigma. The life, works and speculative piety of Rabbi Moses Cordoeiro". You can find a PDF version of it, and it is also available here in paperback: Decoding the Dogma Within the Enigma: The Life, Works, Mystical Piety and SystematicThought of Rabbi Moses Cordoeiro (aka Cordovero;Safed, Israel, 1522-1570)
Some other things about this edition as a whole: the complete English translation is projected to appear in 12 volumes, 4 of which are currently available. Each volume contains the original Hebrew at the end, and all of Cordovero's diagrams are put in both sections of the text. Let me say again that your purchase helps sponsor this translation project. Know that by buying this book you will be helping to bring this illumination into the world!
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