מגעים בין פילוסופיה למיסטיקה יהודית בראשית המאה הט"ו

In the 1420s, the formation of a new circle left its mark on Provencial Jewish philosophy. The members of this circle were three disciples of Prat Maimon, all of whom wrote detailed commentaries on the Kuzari. These were: Jacob Fariossol, Nethanel Caspi and Solomon ben Judah of Lunnel. Prat and his disciples were the adherents of Levi ben Abraham, known as one of the promoters of the polemics on learning philosophy, which resulted in the famous ban by the Rashba. This paper investigates the circle's relation to Jewish mysticism and the Kabbalah. The circle displayed a clear tendency to unite Philosophy and Mysticism. Thus, it regarded the Sefirot as separate intelligences and attributed to the holy Names of God the ability to perform miracles in nature. In addition, these disciples of Prat Maimon explained the system of Sefer Yeẓirah on the basis of the notion that all languages have originated from a common source. The paper concludes by citing some excerpts from Solomon ben Judah's Ḥeshek Shelomo (the Passion of Solomon) that serves as a supercommentary on the Kuzari 4:25 (Halevi's commentary on Sefer Yeẓirah). A monograph on the circle's thought and exegesis, composed by the same author, is in preparation.