This note contains some preliminary information that might be helpful before beginning reading the book, but is only supplementary to the detailed descriptions in the bibliography. Please see the bibliography for any information not contained here.
I Bibliography and Footnotes
The bibliography contains the complete publication information for all sources. For brevity’s sake, the footnotes contain only abbreviated citations, easily amplified through reference to the bibliography. Authored works are cited in the footnotes by the author’s last name, abbreviated title, and the relevant page numbers. Other works are cited by an abbreviated title and page number.
II Principal Texts
Sefer Ha-Zohar [Book of Radiance]: Until very recently, there was no standard critical edition of Sefer Ha-Zohar, first published between 1558 and 1603, but largely written in the late 13th century. I have taken as my basic text, and as the basis for page citations, the most widely-used edition, published by Mosad Ha-Rav Kook, edited by Re’uven Margoliot (see bibliography for details). I have also made reference to the 16th century Cremona and Mantua editions (see bibliography), and later glosses. Most importantly, however, I have systematically adopted, except where otherwise noted, the emendations of the new critical edition of the entire Sefer Ha-Zohar, established by the translators of The Zohar: Pritzker Edition (2004–2017): Daniel Matt, Nathan Wolski, and Joel Hecker (see bibliography for details). I note also that, in the Introduction, I discuss the challenges posed by recent scholars to the notion that Sefer Ha-Zohar can be considered to be a unitary work, or even a “book” in the traditional sense.
Bible: I have used the standard Masoretic text for the original Hebrew and taken the King James Version (KJV) as the basis for my English translations (see bibliography for details). Due to the importance of the specific names of God in the Zoharic literature, I generally substitute transliterations of those names for the KJV’s translations. Where I depart from the KJV, due to the way particular passages are interpreted in the Zoharic literature, I so note in the footnotes.
III Translations
All translations from non-English works are mine, except where otherwise noted. In composing my translations of Sefer Ha-Zohar, the Ra’ya Mehemna, and Sefer Tikune Ha-Zohar, I have drawn on a wide variety of sources, including the Hebrew translations in Yehuda Ashlag’s Sulam and Daniel Frisch’s Matok Midevash, and, rarely, the English Soncino translation, as well as commentaries such as Moshe Cordovero’s Or Yakar and others (see bibliography for details on all sources mentioned here). Most importantly, I have frequently consulted the new Pritzker Edition translation by Daniel Matt, Nathan Wolski, and Joel Hecker on difficult passages (see bibliography for details). When I quote verbatim from the Pritzker Edition, I so note in the footnotes.
IV Transliterations
I have used a simplified transliteration system, as follows:
Consonants
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at the beginning of a word, designated by the appropriate vowel; if sounded in the middle of a word, preceded by a single closed quote (’) |
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b |
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v |
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g |
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d |
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h (always added at the end of a word that ends with a |
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v (if a consonant; otherwise designated by the appropriate vowel) |
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z |
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ḥ |
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t |
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y (if a consonant, otherwise designated by the appropriate vowel) |
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k |
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kh |
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l |
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m |
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n |
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s |
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at the beginning of a word, designated by the appropriate vowel; if sounded in the middle of a word, preceded by a single closed quote (‘) |
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p |
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f |
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ts |
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k |
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r |
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sh |
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s |
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t |
Vowels
Pataḥ and kamats: a
Tsere, segol, and mobile shewa at the beginning of a word: e
ḥiriq: i
ḥolem, kamats katan and ḥataf kamats: o
shuruk and kubuts: u