| AdminHistory | Born Safed(?), son of Joseph Vital Calabrese, a scribe, 1542; studied in yeshivot in Safed, especially under Moses Alshekh; began to study Cabbala in 1564; also attracted to other esoteric studies and spent two years in the practice of alchemy, 1563-1565; the principal disciple of Isaac Luria, 1570-1572; after Luria's death he began to arrange his teachings in written form and to elaborate on them according to his own understanding; moved to Jerusalem, where he served as rabbi and head of a yeshivah, 1577-1585; returned to Safed, 1586-1592; ordained as rabbi by Moses Alshekh, 1590; he was in Jerusalem once more in 1593 and perhaps stayed there several years, returning to Safed from time to time; moved to Damascus, c1598, and remained there until his death, for a time serving as rabbi of the Sicilian community; after a severe illness in 1604, his sight was impaired and at times he was even blind; during his final years a cabbalistic group gathered around him; strained relations existed between Vital and Jacob Abulafia, one of the rabbis in Damascus, who doubted Vital's claims to be the sole interpreter of Lurianic Cabbala; married at least three times; died 1620. Works include a commentary on the Zohar according to the system of Cordovero (published in Abraham Azulai's 'Or ha-Hamah', 1896-1898); 'Sefer Ets ha-Da'at' (written c1563-1575); 'Sha'are Kedushah' (first published 1734); 'Lev David' (first published 1789); 'Sefer ha-Hezyonot' (assembled c1609-1612, first published 1826 as 'Shivhe R. Hayim Vital'); 'Sefer ha-Tekhunah' on astronomy (published 1866); 'Ets Hayim' (first published 1863-1898); 'Sefer ha-Derushim'; 'Sefer ha-Kavanot'; 'Sefer ha-Likutim'; from these writings Jacob Zemah arranged several books, such as 'Otserot Hayim' (1783); 'Adam Yashar' (1885) and 'Olat Tamid' (1850); another version of Vital's system was discovered and published as 'Mevo She'arim' or 'Toldot Adam' (first published 1783); the final edition of Vital's writings was arranged by Meir Poppers (completed 1653), and entitled 'Sefer Derekh Ets Hayim', 'Sefer Peri Ets Hayim' and 'Sefer Nof Ets Hayim'; Vital's writings exercised their main influence on cabbalists through manuscript copies, despite the fact that all his works were later published several times. |
| CustodialHistory | Part of the De Sola collection. Formerly held with other Jewish collections in the Mocatta Library of University College London. |