Maggid Meisharim: Rabbi Caro's only overtly kabbalistic work, comprising teachings that he

learned from a heavenly maggid, an angel that privately taught him. It was published in two
parts: the first part, coveringBereishit to Metzora, was published in Lublin in 5405; the second
part, completing the Torah and on Prophets and Writings, was published in Venice in 5414.
Rabbi Chaim David Azulai (the Chida) notes that only about one fiftieth of the manuscript was
ever published.
The work covers an astonishing variety of subjects, including ethical exhortations, explanations
of the ten sefirot, secrets of Creation, the Divine Names, levels of the soul, treatises on the
revelation of Elijah the Prophet, reincarnation and resurrection of the dead, miracles, Divine
Providence and free choice, dream interpretation, the mystical intentions of eating, the mystical
intentions of some of the mitzvot, the nature of sin and the harm it causes, and mystical
interpretations of passages in the Torah. For sample selections, click here.

Yosef Caro: Selections

By Rabbi Yosef Caro; translated and edited by Moshe Miller

Note: The selections below are all taken from Maggid Meisharim, Rabbi Caro's recording of the
teachings he heard from his angelic mentor. (The bold type indicates the original text; regular
type is commentary.) To see futher information on Rabbi Yosef Caro's works, click here.
The Importance of Mishna
When Rabbi Yosef Caro's angelic mentor, the maggid, first appeared to him, he explained to
Rabbi Caro what he should do to ensure the continuity of this revelation.
Know that I am the Mishna that speaks in your mouth. When you will be
expert in the six order of the Mishnayou will be elevated to the highest
levels. The conduits of true wisdom will be open before you, for I am
the Mishna and within me is true wisdom because I am the "mother" (bina,
called "mother" in kabbala) about whom the verse states, "… the prophecy
that his mother taught him"(Prov. 31:1). The maggid discusses with Rabbi Caro
the descent of the soul Therefore take care from today not to let your mind
wander from the Mishna as you have done in the past, for although you
occupy yourself with halachic decisions in which Rabbi Caro was a leading
authority, which is a good thing, nevertheless, studying the Mishna will
raise you to a higher level. So, "Grasp this, but do let go the other" (Eccl.
7:18), for together they are good. Take care that you do not fall into the
category of those who forget even one thing of their studies, G-d forbid.
(Maggid Meisharim, Bereishit)
The Descent of the Soul

Regarding the question you often ask, "Since the souls of the Patriarchs
come from beneath the Throne of Glory, why was it necessary for them to
descend to this lowly world? Now both answers that you usually give in
response to this question are true. (What these answers are will soon
become clear).
For this reason, too, our Sages are divided over the issue of whether it
would have been better for a person to be created or not. Now
this disagreement is puzzling, since throughout each stage of creation
the Torah states "and G-d saw that it was good." Even regarding death, the
Sages explain that the verse "and it was very good" (Gen. 1:31) alludes to
death. If so, how could anyone even think of saying that it would have been
better had man not been created? For this means that his creation is
deficient, and G-d forbid to say such a thing!
However, the secret of the matter is this: Until souls came to this world
they were comparable to one who eats the king's bread without working for
it. In that case it would be better had one not been created even if only to
reside in the supernal realms, for souls are ashamed to eat the king's bread
without earning it. In order to avoid this shame, they wish to be created and
to descend to this world and occupy themselves with Torah
and mitzvahs "to work it and to keep it" (Gen. 2:15), and in this way they
will eat bread without shame.
Furthermore, when the souls leave this world they rise up to higher levels
than previous to their descent into this world. For initially they were hewn
from underneath the Throne of Glory, and afterwards, after living in this
world, they rise up to be bound "in the bond of life with the Lord your G-
d"…Now when souls that did not rise up to the higher world (because they
did not descend to this world) see the subsequent elevation of souls that
were in this world, they declare that it is better to be created in order to
merit the higher world.
The maggid explains the secret of Eliyahu
The other opinion states that it would have been better for man had he not
been created because the soul's entry into this world is fraught with
danger. Perhaps they will do wrong and fall to a lower level than
previously. Accordingly, it would have been better for them not to have
been created and suffer the shame of undeserved bread.
Furthermore, it would have been better to remain cleaving to higher levels
and "be bound up in the bond of life" (1 Sam. 25:29) and be satisfied with
the level of "beneath the Throne of Glory" than to come to this world and
enter into danger…
(Maggid Meisharim, Bereishit)
Seeing Eliyahu (Elijah) the Prophet
The letters in Eliyahu's name, alef-lamed-yud-hei-vav, can be broken down into two parts, alef-
lamed) and yud-hei-vav. Thus the name Eliyahu comprises chesed (loving-kindness),
as indicated by the Name E-l, and the ten supernal sefirot indicated by the Name
yud-hei-vav -- yud signifies chochma; hei signifies bina;vav signifies the
six sefirot from chesed to yesod, and implicitly includes malchut as ateret
hayesod and corresponding to them the letter hei, which is matronita, malchut as an
independent partzuf, to become illuminated by all ten supernal sefirot. Note that the
three letters yud-hei-vav, together with the hei, form the Four-Letter
Ineffable Name Yud-Hei-Vav-Hei, alluding to the fact that the Prophets
spoke in the Ineffable Name of G-d.
Now if you exchange the letters of the word navi, nun-beit-yud-alef, using
the a't ba'sh formula, this renders tuf-shin-mem-tet. These letters, ta'sh
ma't, come to tell us that the final hei mentioned above, which is shemita
(shin-mem-yud-tet-hei), the final year of the seven-year agricultural cycle, a
word formed by combining the substituted letters, corresponding
to malchut, is illuminated by the Jubilee, the fiftieth year, corresponding
to bina. The fiftieth year, the Jubilee, follows seven cycles of seven years
and alludes to the perfection of the seven lower sefirot, similar to the
festival of Shavuot, the fiftieth day after Passover, when we received the
Torah - after the 49 days of counting the Omer.
With this secret of the final hei of the Ineffable Name, which receives from
the previous three letters, and is therefore comparable to the body that
receives the soul, Eliyahu becomes clothed in a physical body and appears
in this world.
Therefore, when you desire that Eliyahu appear to you, meditate on these
matters when you go to sleep, and then he will appear to you…
(Maggid Meisharim, Bereishit)
When I am I

"If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if I am for myself, what am
I" (Avot 1:14).
If one does not accept the Yoke of Heaven, what holiness is there in emulating any of
the Divine Attributes?
"If I am not for myself, who will be for me" means that if I do not grasp hold
of the "I," namely malchut which is called ani, who will be for me -- that is,
to which of the supernal sefirot can I dedicate myself?
Malchut represents the authority of G-d, and dedicating oneself to malchut means accepting upon
oneself the Yoke of Heaven. If one does not accept the Yoke of Heaven, what holiness is there in
emulating any of the Divine Attributes?
"And if I am for myself, what am I" means when I grasp the "I," malchut,
and I take it "for myself," for the lower malchut (malchut of the lowest
world, Asiya), namely, the human individual, in this case "myself," as it
says in the verse, "Bone of my bone, flesh of my flesh," (Gen. 2:23)
then "what (ma'h) am I?" This can be read as "I amma'h," meaning that at
that moment I join together the Name Yud-Hei-Vav-Hei expanded to the
numerical value of ma'h (45) with ani, malchut. In other words, when I take
upon myself the Yoke of Heaven (malchut) and make it part of me, there is
revealed upon me the Ineffable Name, whose transcendent, indefinable
quality is alluded to in the word "what" -- ma'h.
(Maggid Meisharim, Ki Tissa)