Omer Mann - a Rare Handwritten Copying of the Controversial Kabbalistic Composition - the 17th Century

Manuscript. A copying of the Kabbalistic composition 'Omer Mann' authored by the Divine Kabbalist Rabbi Menachem ben Yehuda di Lonzano. Ashkenazic script. The 17th century. 112 pp.
On the Forsazt leaf, ownership inscriptions: "Belongs to the rabbinical … Eliezer Yoel [of Aragest?] of Brody"; "This holy book is called Omer Mann due to what is written Omet La'Gulgolet".

About the composition
The book 'Omer Mann' is a commentary on the Idra, according to Rabbi Menachem di Lonzano's doctrine which disagrees with that of the Ari and his disciples in interpreting the Zohar. Rabbi Menachem accepts the Seder Ha'Ha'atzala taught by the Ari yet objects to many of his principles. The composition was written by Rabbi Menachem di Lonzano when he was abroad, in Ashkenaz or Poland.
Rabbi Lonzano's Kabbalistic approach, which disagrees with the Ari and his disciples, caused a controversy among various Kabbalists. For this reason, the composition was printed for the first time only in 1883 in Vilnius, and even then only a small portion of the original composition was printed: the printers omitted all criticism of the Ari and his disciples!
Indeed, it should be noted that Rabbi Menachem Lonzano saw himself as a follower of the Ari and his disagreements as a continuation of the Ari's doctrine and not as criticism. Rabbi Lonzano believed that the Ari wrote his 'Sifra De'Tzni'utah' commentary at an early stage and therefore, it needed to be revised. He also believed that the Ari implicitly told his disciples the truth yet they did not understand his meaning.
Despite this clarification, Rabbi Lonzano's commentary was not accepted and therefore, there were not many copies of his manuscripts. Thus the rareness of the manuscript before us.

Rabbi Menachem ben Yehuda di Lonzano
Rabbi Menachem ben Yehuda di Lonzano was born in 1550 to a family of Italian origin. He immigrated to the Land of Israel in 1575 and lived in Jerusalem and later in Safed. In 1585 he lived for a while in Constantinople and Egypt. In 1615 he traveled through Turkey and Italy and in 1618 returned to Jerusalem, where he died in circa 1624. He wrote additional important Kabbalistic books which have never been printed.
Condition: Fair-Good. Moth damage.