Vital, Chaim. Otzroth Chaim [“Treasures of Life”]. * Lurianic Collectanea. * Sha’ar ha-Nevu’ah ve-Ru’ach ha-Kodesh ve-ha-Yichudim [Gate of Prophecy, Divine Spirit, and Unifications]

(KABBALAH)

Safed

Early Eighteenth Century

Broad margins replete with marginalia. On final page, colophon: “I the youngest scribe of my city, Abraham ben…R. Isaac Naamias, of blessed memory, one of the outstanding rabbis of Safed.” (See Ya’ari, Sheluchei Eretz Israel, p. 261). ff. 179-196 of this manuscript is in a different hand. Whereas Naamias writes in a Maaravic or Maghrebic script, the other, anonymous scribe writes in a Balkanic script

Important Manuscript of Lurianic Kabbalah. I. Otzroth Chaim - With some deviations, the order of the Gates is roughly consonant with the order of the standard printed text: Sha’ar Derush A”K; Sha’ar ha-Nekudim; Sha’ar Arich; Sha’ar Abba ve-Imma; Sha’ar Rapa”ch Nitzutzin; Sha’ar Orot, Nitzotzoth ve-Kelim; Sha’ar Mochin de-Tzelem; Sha’ar ha-Ibburim; Sha’ar ha-Melachim; Sha’ar Ya’akov ve-Leah; Sha’ar Rachel ve-Leah; Sha’ar He’aroth Zachar u-Nekevah; Sha’ar ha-Ona’ah. The text of Otzroth Chaim is replete with marginalia. Several of these may be identified as the glosses of R. Moses Zacuto (Rama”z) and Rana”sh (R. Nathan Spira) today printed in the standard editions of Otzroth Chaim. However, there are several glosses which remain to be identified. For example, there are a few glosses signed simply “David” (eg. f.84v., 101r.). Understandably