Rabbi Chaim Vital (1543-1620) was the closest disciple of the great 16th-century kabbalist, the Ari - Rabbi Itzchak Luria and his foremost interpreter. Ari’s writings”, were in fact transcribed by Rabbi Chaim.
As a young boy, Rabbi ChaimVital was educated by the scholar, Rabbi Moses Alshech.
Rabbi Joseph Caro is said to have paid especial attention to Rabbi ChaimVital's early talents and in 1557 requested that Alshech take special care in his education as he was destined to succeed his teacher in the world of learning.
It was an unhappy marriage, and when he left his wife, the prophet Elijah appeared to Rabbi ChaimVital in a dream and led him to a beautiful garden, where he saw the pious of all ages, in the form of birds, flying through the garden and studying the Mishnah.
ChaimVital wrote everything he’d heard during that time, and what he’d written comprised the twenty volumes of the writings of the Ari.
ChaimVital began his studies with the Ari at a very early age, and studied with him for only 18 months, until the death of the Ari.
Even ChaimVital did not have the sufficient knowledge to comprise a comprehensive and concise method, suitable for every soul that descends to this world, despite the tremendous efforts he made to preserve those texts for us.
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