Isaac Luria

Isaac ben Solomon Ashkenazi Luria (Hebrew: יִצְחָק בן שלמה לוּרְיָא אשכנזי; born c. 1534 – died July 25, 1572), commonly known in Jewish religious circles as Ha'ari, Ha'ari Hakadosh or Arizal, was a leading rabbi and Jewish mystic in the community of Safed in the Galilee region of Ottoman Palestine, now Israel. He is considered the father of contemporary Kabbalah. His teachings are referred to as Lurianic Kabbalah.

His direct literary contribution to the Kabbalistic school of Safed was extremely minute (he wrote only a few poems), however his spiritual fame led to their veneration and the acceptance of his authority. Luria's disciples compiled his oral teachings into their writings, and every custom of Luria was scrutinized; many were accepted, even against previous practice.

Luria died at Safed on July 25, 1572, and is buried at the Safed Old Jewish Cemetery. The Ari Ashkenazi Synagogue, also located in Safed, was built in memory of Luria during the late 16th century.

Early life

Luria was born in 1534 in Jerusalem in what is now the Old Yishuv Courtyard to an Ashkenazi father, Solomon, and a Sephardic mother.

While still a child, Luria lost his father and was raised by his rich maternal uncle Mordechai Frances, a mültazim (tax farmer) from Cairo in Ottoman Egypt. His uncle placed him under the best Jewish teachers, including the leading rabbinic scholar David ben Solomon ibn Abi Zimra.