A Short Biography of R Chaim Vital
Rabbi Chaim Vital ז״ל (1543–1620) records that he was born in Tzfat, and from his youth was drawn with great intensity toward Torah study, spiritual growth, and inner refinement.
Throughout his writings, he describes a persistent striving for perfection in both learning and character, accompanied by acute self-awareness and constant introspection.
In Sefer HaChezyonot, Rav Chaim Vital testifies that he studied under several leading sages of his generation before becoming attached to Rabbi Isaac Luria, the Arizal. He records explicitly that the Arizal informed him that he had come into the world in order to transmit his teachings specifically to Rav Chaim Vital, and that Rav Chaim Vital was charged with preserving these teachings in writing.
Rav Chaim Vital describes how he labored to record, organize, and safeguard the teachings he received, often expressing concern over accuracy, readiness, and worthiness. His writings reflect repeated efforts to revise and refine his manuscripts, motivated by a deep sense of responsibility toward the transmission of the tradition entrusted to him.
Alongside accounts of spiritual insight, Rav Chaim Vital openly records personal struggle, distraction, regret, and spiritual fluctuation. He does not present himself as having attained completion, but rather as engaged in lifelong effort, self-critique, and repentance. These passages form a central feature of Sefer HaChizyonot and provide direct testimony to his inner life.
After the passing of the Arizal, Rav Chaim Vital records periods of withdrawal and restraint in the dissemination of the teachings.
He later settled in Damascus, where he continued to write, revise, and preserve his works. His writings indicate that he remained deeply concerned with the integrity of the transmission and with the spiritual consequences of improper study or misuse of the teachings.
The corpus left by Rav Chaim Vital, as reflected in his manuscripts and self-testimony, constitutes the primary written record of the Arizal’s teachings and the foundational source for the prayer rite and kabbalistic system transmitted in his name.