A Composition of Glosses on the Zohar, by Moroccan Kabbalists - Thousands of Handwritten Glosses on the Zohar on ...

A Composition of Glosses on the Zohar, by Moroccan Kabbalists - Thousands of Handwritten Glosses on the Zohar on Bereshit, Amsterdam 1715 - Composition Corresponding to Mikdash Melech by Rabbi Shalom Buzaglo
Zohar, Part I, the Book of Bereshit. [Amsterdam, 1715]. With thousands of handwritten glosses in Western script (Morocco, 18th century) - comprehensive composition of kabbalistic glosses to the Zohar.
The thousands of glosses contained in this book consist of the glosses of Moroccan kabbalists to the Zohar. Careful study of these glosses discloses that most appear in the composition Leket Shoshanim (extant in several manuscripts). Some of these glosses also feature in the book Mikdash Melech by R. Shalom Buzaglo. Additionally, the glosses include several original thoughts, opening with: "And it appears to me, מטו"ן…". These glosses were written in the same handwriting as the others. We have not managed to identify this Torah scholar, yet it is apparent that he was a prominent and erudite kabbalist (possible interpretations of the acronym "מטו"ן" are Moshe Toledano or Meir Toledano).
The book is lacking at the beginning, middle and end. 28 leaves were bound at the beginning, containing part of the missing text, handwritten in Western script. The glosses, in Western script, were inserted both in the margins and between the lines, on all leaves (both printed and handwritten) of the book. Most of the glosses were recorded by one writer (the Torah scholar named "מטו"ן" mentioned above). A gloss on p. 156b is from a different writer. There may be additional glosses in a different handwriting.
These glosses comprise the teachings of the Marrakesh school of kabbalists, which included R. Yaakov Maradji, R. Avraham Azoulay (the second), R. Avraham ibn Moussa, R. Shlomo Amar, R. Yeshaya HaKohen, R. Yaakov Pinto, R. Yaakov Gedalia and their disciples. The glosses correspond with the composition Leket Shoshanim, a compilation of glosses by leading Marrakesh kabbalists to the Zohar, arranged by R. Yeshaya HaKohen and R. Yaakov Pinto. Leket Shoshanim was never published, and is extant in several manuscripts, but part of it was included in the renowned book Mikdash Melech (London, 1750-1752) by the kabbalist R. Shalom Buzaglo, who was associated with this school of kabbalists. The nature of the connection between the compositions Leket Shoshanim and Mikdash Melech is as of yet unclear (see: R. Moshe Hillel, Record for the History of the First Generation of Marrakesh Kabbalists, in: Min HaGenazim - Ahavat Shalom, X - 2017, p. 44, footnote 49).
22-55, 58-63, 66-71, 74-79, 81-89, 152-163, 166-167, 169-174, 176-215, 217-223, 225-230 leaves (lacking leaves at beginning, middle and end of book; originally: [7], 251, [1], 11 leaves) + [28] handwritten leaves. Approx. 19 cm. Fair-poor condition. Stains. Many tears, dampness damage and wear, affecting text and handwritten glosses. Detached leaves. Binding detached and damaged.