Letter from the Kabbalah genius Rabbi Moshe Zechut (Ramaz) to his student and son-in-law Rabbi Binyamin HaCohen ...

Letter from the Kabbalah genius Rabbi Moshe Zechut (Ramaz) to his student and son-in-law Rabbi Binyamin HaCohen Vitali (Rabach). A historical letter that sheds light on the biography of the Ramaz and the state of the Venice community. 5428/1668
The content of the letter is an apology of the Ramaz for not being able to accept the invitation of Kehilas Kodesh Mantuba to relocate and serve as a Rabbi and Rosh Yeshiva in their city due to his prior commitment to the Venice kehilla not to relocate for at least four years.

Among others, the Ramaz notes the thirst of both the Ashkenazic and Sephardic communities for his teachings, but he is sorrowed due to the lack of students with the understanding such as of the Rabach. Intertwined in the words of the letter is the great affection and appreciation of the Ramaz to the Rabach, who was at the time around seventeen years old, and was already identified as a talmid chacham that has a future of greatness. Indeed, the Ramaz eventually took the Rabach as a chosson for his daughter.

Rabbi Moshe Ben Mordechai Zechut was one of the greatest rabbis and poskim of Italy and was considered to be one of the greatest kabbalists of his generation. The Chidah, in the sefer Shem Hagedolim, brings that the Ramaz merited to a Maggid from heaven, and Harav Gur Aryeh Halevi of Mantuba testified that he heard the angel speaking to him.

He received the essence of his Kabbalistic teachings from Harav Binyamin Halevi, a disciple of Rabbi Chaim Vital and from Harav Yitzchak of Posna, a disciple of Rabbi Sheftil, son of the Shelah. In the ensuing years, his beis midrash became the main source, from which the teachings of the Arizal and his great talmid spread throughout Italy Jewry. The Ramaz arrived to Venice at the request of Harav Azaria Figo zt"l to take his place as the Rabbi of the city. Eventually, the Ramaz relocated to Mantuba around the year of 5433/1673 - about six years after the letter was written. There he served in the Rabbinate till his petira in 5458/1698.

The following talmidim learned in his yeshivah in Mantuba, besides the Rabach, (who eventually became the Rosh Yeshiva after him): Harav Yeshaya Basan (the son-in-law of the Rabach and the Ramchal's teacher), Rabbi Aviad Sher Shalom Basil, baal Emunas Chachamim, Rabbi Avraham Revigo and more.

Rabbi Benyamin HaCohen Vitale of Reggio to whom the letter was addressed was one of Italy's greatest posek and mekubal, and his rulings were considered to be decisive to the extent that some of his generation's scholars dismissed their rulings where they considered them contrary to his. In the entry of his name in the sefer Shem Hagedolim, the Chidah writes that the Rabach was "famous in Chasidus". During the debate regarding the writings of the Ramchal, he was asked to act as an arbitrator but he was niftar before he was able to do so. The Ramchal wrote a long lamentation bemoaning his death, where he is praised as one of the great and unique Italian scholars and leaders of the generation.