Reading from a Torah scroll in accordance with Sephardi tradition. Photo: Sagie Maoz via Wikimedia Commons.

The Ramchal’s works are classics, learned and revered by all. Among them, Mesillas Yesharim stands out for the effusive praise it receives from our greatest rabbis and leaders, including the Vilna Gaon. The Ramchal authored approximately 100 sefarim (books) and left an indelible mark on future Jewish generations.

What is less known is that, in his lifetime, he was subject to severe scrutiny and criticism and was even sent out of communities due to the fear that he would become another Shabbtai Tzvi.

In fact, the Chidah did not include him in the original Sheim HaGedolim (a classical book listing Gedolim and their works), since the Ramchal was still considered a controversial figure more than 20 years after his passing. In truth, the Ramchal’s greatness was only universally recognized many years after his death.

Moshe Chaim Luzzatto, popularly known by his acronym RaMCHaL, was born in Padua, Italy, in 1707. His father, Reb Yaakov Chai, was a Torah scholar who supported his family by dealing in silk and grain. The Luzzatto family was affluent and hosted many visitors from the land of Israel. Their influence left a lasting impression on the young Ramchal, and he had an intense love and longing for the Holy Land his entire life.

One of the Ramchal’s early rebbeim (teachers) was Rav Yitzchak Chaim Cantarini. In addition to teaching him Torah, Rabbi Cantarini taught the Ramchal grammar, poetry, and the art of writing with both persuasive logic and stylistic beauty. The latter skill would be put to use in the many sefarim he wrote in his lifetime.

After Rav Yitzchak Chaim passed away, the Ramchal was taught by Rav Yeshayah Bassan, known as the Mahari Bassan, the leader of Italian Jewry. The Mahari Bassan was considered one of the greatest rabbis of his generation. He was knowledgeable in all aspects of Torah, including Talmud, Jewish law, and kabbalah. The Mahari Bassan was a student of the renowned kabbalist, Rav Moshe Zacuto of Mantua, and of Rav Binyamin HaKohein Vitale, who was his father-in-law.

The Mahari Bassan treated the Ramchal as much more than a student. In addition to teaching him both the hidden and revealed portions of the Torah, the Mahari Bassan used his understanding of the Ramchal’s deep intelligence and outstanding personal traits to guide him on his path towards greatness. During these formative years, the Ramchal also acquired a secular education and was fluent in Latin, Italian, French, and Greek. As was customary in Italy at that time, he also learned the art of playwriting and poetry, and was skilled at both.

When the Ramchal was 15 years old, the Mahari Bassan left Padua to assume the rabbinate in Reggio Emilia, where his father-in-law had been serving as rav and was now retiring due to old age.

After his rebbi’s departure, the Ramchal continued to immerse himself in Torah study and devoted himself to serving G-d. He joined a group focused on spiritual growth that called itself “Mevakshei Hashem.” The members of this group set aside all worldly pursuits and focused primarily on Kabbalah. Within this select group, the Ramchal was soon recognized as a leader and teacher.

The Ramchal’s students discovered that, in addition to his vast knowledge of Talmud and Jewish law, he was well-versed in the writings of the Arizal and the entire Zohar. It is said he “did not know what it meant to forget something.”

The main goal of the small group, “Mevakshei Hashem,” which the Ramchal had joined and later led alongside Rabbi Moshe David Valli, was to draw themselves as close as possible to G-d. Among their rules was that one member of the group should be engaged in Torah study at all times, day and night. They also desired to make devotion to G-d their sole goal in life.

When the goals of this study group became known, along with the revelation that the Ramchal was taught by a heavenly Maggid, some community leaders, especially Rav Moshe Haggiz, became very concerned. To them, mysticism and Kabbalah taught by a young, charismatic scholar were a real danger to the community. They feared a repeat of the Shabbtai Tzvi tragedy from sixty years earlier in 1666. The concerned rabbis began gathering support from elder sages against the Ramchal.

The Ramchal’s reluctance to fight back is demonstrated in the correspondence between the Ramchal and his rav, Rav Bassan, and serves as an eternal lesson regarding running from machlokes (argument). One letter written by the Ramchal to Rav Bassan clearly demonstrates his peaceful spirit, being above such quarrels: “Try by your wisdom, master, to refute their arguments … For what purpose (is) this quarrel? … I do not want to create conflicts with anybody … It is peace that we need …”

To his antagonist Rav Moshe Haggiz, the Ramchal wrote: “To the illustrious wise … his name is among the greats … son of righteous … how come you, a sage — like an angel of G-d, have gone to war without trying to delve into the problem; to declare war against someone you have never met or seen … No, it is not a good thing. In any case, let us stop this quarrel…let us not give Satan room to dance between us…”​

The period of persecution lasted five years. The Ramchal was forced to respond to accusations, especially from the Rabbinical Court of Hamburg and its head, Rav Yechezkel Katzenellenbogen. In truth, what was he accused of? Writing about Kabbalah at a young age, discussing Mashiach (the Messiah), and revealing his communications with the Maggid, yet the trauma of Shabbtai Tzvi rendered these actions truly worrisome to the community’s leaders.

At Rav Haggiz’s insistence in 1730, the Ramchal agreed to sign a document. He officially retracted his writings and agreed: “Every Jew must obey the Rabbis, even if they declare right is left and left is right, and refrain from writing in the language of the Zohar on Kabbalah, citing the Maggid or other holy souls, so as not to provoke quarrels among the wise of Israel.”

His emphasis on Kabbalah, combined with his growing popularity, led Rabbinical authorities to take further action. They decreed the Ramchal could teach Kabbalah only under two conditions: it had to be in the Land of Israel, and he must be 40 years old.

Seeking to avoid controversy and end the conflict, the Ramchal moved with his family to Amsterdam. In deference to the directives that the community leaders had insisted on, he avoided public attention, devoting himself instead to writing rather than teaching. En route from Italy to Amsterdam, the Ramchal passed through Frankfurt. There, he encountered Dayan Rav Yaacov Papiroch, who ordered him to leave and forced the Ramchal to sign another agreement preventing him from writing on Kabbalah or studying its works with anyone until he reached the age of 40.

Ramchal was able to pursue his studies of Kabbalah relatively unhindered while in Amsterdam. Earning a living at an occupation, variously described as lens grinder or diamond cutter, he continued writing — but refused to teach, in deference to those who opposed him. It was during this period that he wrote his most famous work, Mesillas Yesharim (The Path of the Just), at the age of 33.

The contribution of the Ramchal to Kabbalah has been compared to that of the Rambam to halachah. Out of the vast sea of Talmudic literature that only outstanding scholars could master, the Rambam had distilled his comprehensive Code of Torah Law. The Mishneh Torah provided clarity and order in a sefer that could be easily understood by all. Similarly, the Ramchal brought order and clarity to the labyrinth of Kabbalistic concepts and teachings in the writings of the Arizal, and a sefer such as Derech Hashem (The Way of God) could be used productively by any serious student.

The source of the Ramchal’s method and organizational skills is not known for certain. Perhaps it is because he was a talmid of Rav Yitzchak Lampronti, author of the Pachad Yitzchak, the first major Talmudic encyclopedia. It is likely that the Ramchal learned organization from him and used that ability in explaining the most fundamental and profound concepts of Judaism.

In 1743, the Ramchal fulfilled his dream of settling in the Land of Israel. Very few details are known about his life there, except that he lived in Akko. Sadly, his stay in Israel was brief. After three years, in 1746, at the age of 39, he died of the plague, along with the rest of his family. According to most traditions, he was buried near Rabbi Akiva in Tiberias.

After his passing, the Gaon of Vilna was among those who recognized and publicized the Ramchal’s true greatness. He declared that if the Ramchal were still alive, he would have traveled to Italy on foot to learn from his wisdom. Regarding Mesillas Yesharim (The Path of the Just), the Vilna Gaon said, “This book is witness to the greatness of its author, and his extraordinary vision of the human potential for elevation.” The Vilna Gaon also said that most Torah works are greater than their authors, but that he is certain that in this case, the author was many times greater than the work.

The Maggid of Mezritch said about the Ramchal: “His generation did not have the merit of this great man. Such is the case that many of our people, through a lack of knowledge or understanding, have pronounced unjustified calumny upon him.”

When leaving the Volozhin Yeshiva, Rav Zundel of Salant (rebbi of Rav Yisroel Salantar) asked Rav Chaim Volozhin which mussar sefer (ethical treatise) he should study to guide him in life. Rav Chaim responded, “The Mesillas Yesharim should be the one that directs you.”

Reb Yisroel Salanter said, “I feel that I have the ability to write a number of works of chiddushim (novel Torah thoughts) on the level of the Noda Biyehudah. But I lack the strength to write even one page on the level of Mesillas Yesharim.” Reb Yisroel also made the Mesillas Yesharim a primary sefer of learning mussar for the yeshivas of Europe.

Although his ability to teach talmidim (students) was limited by accusations and restrictions in his lifetime, for the past 200 years, the Ramchal has been one of the greatest teachers of mussar and kabbalah for the Jewish People. His life reflects the Chazal (Eruvin 13b), “He who runs from honor, the honor will run after him.”

Another lesson readily learned from the Ramchal is that one does not lose out by escaping machlokes (conflict). The Ramchal was not recognized for his greatness in life, yet after his passing and with time, his greatness has become apparent to all. His teachings and influence are eternal.

May his memory be a blessing.

Rabbi Menachem Levine is the CEO of JDBY-YTT, the largest Jewish school in the Midwest. He served as Rabbi of Congregation Am Echad in San Jose, CA, from 2007 to 2020. He is a popular speaker and writes for numerous publications on Torah, Jewish History, and Contemporary Jewish Topics. Rabbi Levine’s personal website is https://thinktorah.org A slightly different version of this post was published in Hamodia.