About This Text
Author: Abraham Abulafia
Composed: c.1285 – c.1291 CE
Rabbi Abraham Abulafia was the 13th-century founder of a practical kabbalistic approach that taught that manipulation of letters and divine names could achieve divine connection and even prophecy. He left Barcelona after Rabbi Shlomo ibn Adret (Rashba), a kabbalist and renowned legal authority, issued sharp criticism against him. Abulafia wrote a letter to Rabbi Yehuda Salmon, VeZot LiYehuda, in which he argued that the Rashba’s view rested on inaccurate information, explained his own approach in relation to other kabbalistic streams, and asked Rabbi Yehuda to intervene with the Rashba on his behalf.