The Question of the Existence of Radical Philosophical Secrets Emerging from The Light of the Darkness (Nur al Dalam)

Abstract

This article provides a first look at the philosophical views of Rabbi Netanel son of Isaiah (Yemen 1329), author of the Torah commentary Light of the Darkness. We begin with the fact in the introduction to his book, R. Netanel affirms an esoteric method of writing. We proceed to analyze two subjects that show the possibility of interpreting R. Netanel as a radical philosopher. First, we examine his position on creation. On this subject, R. Netanel’s writing is highly ambiguous and raises the possibility that he endorses the view of eternity. Later in the article, we analyze his views on miracles. On this subject, we see that he explains Moses’ 40 days of fasting as a parable. This interpretation may indicate that he classifies all miracles in the Torah as parables.