The re-appearance of the Zohar during the middle ages led to much controversy over its authenticity and how it would affect Jewish practice.

This intriguing segment in Rabbi Yossi Paltiel’s “Intro to Kabbalah” deals with the discovery of what was claimed to be salvaged remnants of the ancient Zohar. While the Zohar gained much popularity due to the abundance of Kabblistic form and language it exposed, it was also met with much skepticism. The attitudes toward the Zohar ranged from a complete denial of mysticism as a valid part of the Jewish tradition to a wholehearted belief in its sacred and ancient origin. Rabbi Paltiel addresses the implications of this controversy on the Sephardic, Ashkenazi, and Chassidic communities and how it was ultimately resolved.