Rabbi Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, known as the Ramchal, was an Italian rabbi, Kabbalist, poet and ethicist, and one of the most original Jewish thinkers of the modern era.
Born in Padua in 1707, he was a prodigy, writing works on Kabbalah, poetry and drama while still young. His claims to receive teachings from a heavenly maggid led to strong opposition from the rabbis of Italy, who required him to stop teaching and writing Kabbalah. He moved to Amsterdam, where he wrote some of his most famous works.
In 1743 he emigrated to the Land of Israel and settled in Acre (Akko). He died there in 1746, together with his family, in a plague. According to tradition he is buried in Tiberias, near Rabbi Akiva.
Works
- Mesillat Yesharim (The Path of the Just): a classic of Jewish ethics, built on the "ladder" of Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair.
- Derech Hashem (The Way of God) and Da'at Tevunot: systematic works of Jewish belief.
- Kalach Pitchei Chochmah: on the foundations of Kabbalah.
- Poetry and Hebrew dramas, including LaYesharim Tehillah.
Accomplishments & Achievements
- Wrote some of the most widely studied works of Jewish thought and ethics.
- A founder of modern Hebrew literature through his poetry and drama.
Influence on Jewish Tradition
Mesillat Yesharim became a central text of the Mussar movement and of yeshivot. The Vilna Gaon is reported to have praised it highly. His clear, systematic presentation of Jewish faith in Derech Hashem is studied worldwide.
Family & Lineage
Son of Rabbi Yaakov Vita Luzzatto of Padua. Husband of Tziporah, daughter of his teacher Rabbi Yeshaya Bassan.
Teachers & Students
Teacher: Rabbi Yeshaya Bassan.
Places to Visit
His traditional grave is in Tiberias, on the slope near the tomb of Rabbi Akiva.
Sefarim & Manuscripts
- Sefaria Mesillat Yesharim · מסילת ישרים – full text
- Sefaria Derekh Hashem · דרך ה' – full text
- Sefaria Da'at Tevunot · דעת תבונות – full text
- Sefaria All texts by and about Moses Chaim Luzzatto on Sefaria
- National Library מסילת ישרים – manuscripts & early printings
- National Library דרך ה' – manuscripts & early printings
- National Library דעת תבונות – manuscripts & early printings
- National Library לוצאטו משה חיים – the Ramchal – catalogue, manuscripts & early printings
Sources & Further Reading
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