[Avodah] Looking for sources about Chazal's Ruach Hakodesh

[rabbirichwolpoe at gmail.com]

RRW:
«the Zohar would be a great barometer for judging this - regardless of its origins.»

Gershon:
«skeptics would likely not agree».

I'm skeptical about that observation! ;-) 
Why would skeptics doubt the zohar's word regarding the realm of the esoteric?
Unless they are just being contrary...»


RRW:
Tangentially, IIRC an early Ashk'nazi Rishon commented that the Hilchos Alfasi were written b'ruach haqodesh....»

Gershon:
«it would be nice to have more specific details about that»

Google 
RIF rabbi isaac alfasi and ruach hakodesh and see what you get

Here's one - hope you read portueguese!

Magazine Morash? - Articles 
http://translate.googleusercontent.com/translate_c?hl=en&sl=pt&u=http://www.morasha.com.br/conteudo/artigos/artigos_view.asp%3Fa%3D643%26p%3D3&prev=/search%3Fq%3Drabbi%2Bisaac%2Balfasi%2Brif%2B%252B%2Bruach%
[or http://bit.ly/cJ4GdA
The original Portugese is at
http://www.morasha.com.br/conteudo/artigos/artigos_view.asp?a=643&p=3
-micha]

> Rabbi Isaac ben Shmuel haZaken, wise in the 11th century, has commented
> on the RIF as follows: "A man does not work in vain to produce a work of
> this template, unless the Spirit of God hovers over it." In light of such
> a declaration, we conclude with a story that demonstrates that the IFA
> had not only extraordinary mind, but Ruach HaKodesh - the Divine Spirit.

[Email #2. -micha]

Gershon:
> So to say to a skeptic "The Zohar of questionable authorship to you,
> is the expert on matter of the esoteric which you don't understand or
> comprehend and have no way of validating by using your reasoning you
> must trust us when we say this book knows about that stuff the best"
> means very little.

But that's not what I said

I said regardless of the question of authorship Zohar IS accepted as a
reliable expert on the esoteric!

Read Gershom Scholem! He brings to bear all kinds of opinions on the
Zohar's origins but AFAIK does not question its expertise on Qabbalah!

Does anyone else question its esoteric pronouncements?

One may reject esoterica completely as invalid but that would STILL not
imply the Zohar is THE leading source of Jewish esoterica!

Illustration:
Would a Qaraite even question that the Talmud is the primary text of
Rabbinic Judaism? I think not!

KT
RRW
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