Meir ben Judah Leib Poppers
Encyclopedia
Meir ben Judah Leib Poppers or Meir ben Judah Loeb Ha-Kohen Ashkenazi Poppers (ca. 1624-1662) was a Bohemian
rabbi and kabbalist. He was born in Prague
and died in Jerusalem in February or March, 1662.
He studied the Kabbala under Israel Ashkenazi and Jacob Zemah, and he wrote a great number of works, all in the spirit of Isaac Luria
; thirty-nine of them have "Or" as the beginning of their titles, in reference to his name "Meir." His works which have been published are: Or Ẓaddiḳim (Hamburg
, 1690), a mystical methodology, or exhortation to asceticism, based upon Isaac Luria's writings, the Zohar, and other moral works (an enlarged edition of this work was published later under the title Or Ha-Yashar [Fürth, 1754]); Or Pene Melek, a treatise on the mysteries of the prayers and commandments, condensed and published under the title Sefer Kavanot Tefillot u-Mizvot (Hamburg, 1690); Me'ore Or, an alphabetical arrangement of the kabbalistic sacred names found in Isaac Luria's Sefer Ha-Kavanot, published by Elijah ben Azriel, with the commentary Ya'ir Natib of Nathan Mannheimer and Jacob ben Benjamin Wolf, under the title Me'orot Natan (Frankfort-on-the-Main, 1709); Mesillot Ḥokmah (Shklov, 1785), regulations and rules for the study of the Kabbala.
Among his unpublished works the following may be mentioned: Or Rab, a commentary on the Zohar; Or ha-Abuḳah, a treatise on the Kabbala; Or Zarua, a commentary on Hayyim Vital's Derek 'Eẓ ha-Ḥayyim; Or Ner, on the transmigration of souls; Or Ẓaḥ, on the order in which souls are linked together; Derushim 'al ha-Torah, homilies on the Pentateuch; Matoḳ ha-Or, a cabalistic commentary on the Aggadah
of the Talmud
and Midrash Rabbah
.
Bohemian
A Bohemian is a resident of the former Kingdom of Bohemia, either in a narrow sense as the region of Bohemia proper or in a wider meaning as the whole country, now known as the Czech Republic. The word "Bohemian" was used to denote the Czech people as well as the Czech language before the word...
rabbi and kabbalist. He was born in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
and died in Jerusalem in February or March, 1662.
He studied the Kabbala under Israel Ashkenazi and Jacob Zemah, and he wrote a great number of works, all in the spirit of Isaac Luria
Isaac Luria
Isaac Luria , also called Yitzhak Ben Shlomo Ashkenazi acronym "The Ari" "Ari-Hakadosh", or "Arizal", meaning "The Lion", was a foremost rabbi and Jewish mystic in the community of Safed in the Galilee region of Ottoman Palestine...
; thirty-nine of them have "Or" as the beginning of their titles, in reference to his name "Meir." His works which have been published are: Or Ẓaddiḳim (Hamburg
Hamburg
-History:The first historic name for the city was, according to Claudius Ptolemy's reports, Treva.But the city takes its modern name, Hamburg, from the first permanent building on the site, a castle whose construction was ordered by the Emperor Charlemagne in AD 808...
, 1690), a mystical methodology, or exhortation to asceticism, based upon Isaac Luria's writings, the Zohar, and other moral works (an enlarged edition of this work was published later under the title Or Ha-Yashar [Fürth, 1754]); Or Pene Melek, a treatise on the mysteries of the prayers and commandments, condensed and published under the title Sefer Kavanot Tefillot u-Mizvot (Hamburg, 1690); Me'ore Or, an alphabetical arrangement of the kabbalistic sacred names found in Isaac Luria's Sefer Ha-Kavanot, published by Elijah ben Azriel, with the commentary Ya'ir Natib of Nathan Mannheimer and Jacob ben Benjamin Wolf, under the title Me'orot Natan (Frankfort-on-the-Main, 1709); Mesillot Ḥokmah (Shklov, 1785), regulations and rules for the study of the Kabbala.
Among his unpublished works the following may be mentioned: Or Rab, a commentary on the Zohar; Or ha-Abuḳah, a treatise on the Kabbala; Or Zarua, a commentary on Hayyim Vital's Derek 'Eẓ ha-Ḥayyim; Or Ner, on the transmigration of souls; Or Ẓaḥ, on the order in which souls are linked together; Derushim 'al ha-Torah, homilies on the Pentateuch; Matoḳ ha-Or, a cabalistic commentary on the Aggadah
Aggadah
Aggadah refers to the homiletic and non-legalistic exegetical texts in the classical rabbinic literature of Judaism, particularly as recorded in the Talmud and Midrash...
of the Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
and Midrash Rabbah
Midrash
The Hebrew term Midrash is a homiletic method of biblical exegesis. The term also refers to the whole compilation of homiletic teachings on the Bible....
.
Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography
- AzulaiChaim Joseph David AzulaiChaim Joseph David Azulai ben Isaac Zerachia , commonly known as the Chida , was a Jerusalem born rabbinical scholar, a noted bibliophile, and a pioneer in the publication of Jewish religious writings.- Biography :Azulai was born in Jerusalem, where he received his education...
, Shem ha-Gedolim, i. 120; - Julius FürstJulius FürstJulius Fürst , was a Jewish German orientalist.Fürst was a distinguished scholar of Semitic languages and literature...
, Bibl. Jud. iii. 113-114; - Moritz SteinschneiderMoritz SteinschneiderMoritz Steinschneider was a Bohemian bibliographer and Orientalist. He received his early instruction in Hebrew from his father, Jacob Steinschneider , who was not only an expert Talmudist, but was also well versed in secular science...
, Cat. Bodl. col. 1709.