Origin of the Custom
The kabbalistic schools of 16th century Safed believed that the most appropriate texts to study during the Ten Days of Repentance were kabbalistic works.
The 17th century kabbalistic author, Rabbi Meir Poppers, in his work Or Ẓaddiqim (Siman 36) is the earliest known source (we have seen) to mention the unique merit of reading the Book of the Tiqqunim during ‘these days’ (of Repentance), where the practice is cited in the name of ‘the Master’ (presumably Rabbi Isaac Luria).
The specific custom of reading Tiqqunei ha-Zohar in 40 days, from Rosh Ḥodesh Elul until Yom Kippur, first appeared in the ‘Ortakoj’ edition of Tiqqunei ha-Zohar, edited by R. Ḥayyim Alfandari and published by Yonah Ashkenazi in Constantinople in 1719. Headers indicating each day’s reading were subsequently reprinted in the same publisher’s influential 1740 Constantinople edition (TZ Qushta).
Most subsequent editions of Tiqqunei ha-Zohar follow the Constantinople editions in format and comprise 148 ‘folios’ (dappim), or 295 ‘pages’ (amudim).
Reasons for the Custom
Several reasons have been advanced in explanation of the custom in the three centuries since it was first recorded.
Yonah Ashkenazi
In his Publisher’s Preface to TZ Ortakoj, Ashkenazi wrote: “...for the merit of the masses, I have established, from day to day, from Rosh Ḥodesh Elul until Yom Kippur, a daily reading, as the Book of the Tiqqunim is uniquely capable of rectifying the soul...”
Rabbi Shalom ben Moshe Buzaglo
From his commentary on TZ, Kisei Melekh: “... for it purifies the body and sanctifies the soul, for all who learn [Tiqqunei ha-Zohar] in the Month of Elul, even reading without understanding the words, and all the more so, if one should merit until the spirit of God (ruaḥ HaShem) will speak to you to understand the intentions of Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai in his holy sayings.”
Vilna Gaon
From the ‘Publisher’s Introduction’ to Tiqqunei ha-Zohar with Biur HaGRA: “Perhaps we can rely on what is written in Tiqun 6: “And he opened the window of the Ark - this is Yom Kippur.” And it is written in the Biur HaGRA there: “This refers to the end of 40 days from Rosh Ḥodesh Elul. And in several places in the Zohar and the Ra’aya Meheimna, it is written regarding the Tiqqunei Ha-Zohar that “it is like Noah’s Ark.”
The 40-Day Division
We present two different versions of the division:
- The original division of Tiqqunei ha-Zohar which first appeared in the Constantinople editions of 1719 (TZ Ortakoj), and 1740 (TZ Qushta).
The Constantinople division of TZ into 40 days follows the structure of the Tiqqunim themselves, never splitting any of the Tiqqunim over different days. This produces an uneven program, as some Tiqqunim are very short, while others are substantially longer.
- An alternative division of Tiqqunei ha-Zohar.
In his preface to a 1973 facsimile reprinting of TZ Qushta, the Admor of Toldos Aharon noted the difficulty with the original division, and proposed an alternate division of about four pages a day. This idea was subsequently formulated as a table by R. Daniel Frisch and presented in Chapter 12 of his Introduction to the Matoq Mi-Dvash (1991) Hebrew translation of and commentary upon Tiqqunei Ha-Zohar.
Daniel Frisch writes the following in his introduction:
“And the publisher of Qushta A divided Sefer HaTiqqunim into daily sections from Erev Rosh Ḥodesh Elul until Yom Kippur, as he explains in his introduction, and this was continued by all the subsequent printers. However, he did this in a difficult manner, for one day may be a single page, and another day might be twenty pages. For example, for Day 34 there is a single page, while for Day 11, Day 35 and Day 36 there are about 20 pages each.
And so it is better to divide it into an order where each day is equivalent to about four pages, more or less, in order that one should complete an issue, and in the final days leading up to Yom Kippur, a little less, so that one will complete the work on Yom Kippur.”
(Matoq Mi-Dvash, ‘Introduction to Tiqqunei ha-Zohar’ Chapter 12)
Elul Calendar for 2024 - 5784/5
For a guide to the customary kabbalistic study of Tiqqunei ha-Zohar during the months of Elul and Tishrei, please download Margalya Press' calendar guide.
DOWNLOAD THE 40-DAY CALENDAR FOR 2024 - 5784/5 HERE
How to Learn this Year with English
As you will have seen above, there are two possible programs for learning the Tiqqunei ha-Zohar during the 40 days between Rosh Ḥodesh Elul and Yom Kippur - the original system, provided in the Constantinople editions and that offered by Daniel Frisch in the Matoq Mi-Dvash. Both options are in our downloadable calendar.
While the full English translation of the Tiqqunei ha-Zohar Margalya is not available for use this Elul, parts of the translation are on Sefaria, beginning with the text known as 'Another Introduction to Tiqqunei ha-Zohar', followed by Tiqqunim 1 to 21.
If you follow the Constantinople system, you will be able to study the Tiqqunim in English from Rosh Ḥodesh through the first 11 days of Elul.
If you follow the Matoq Mi-Dvash method, you can study the sections in English for days five to 16.
Alternatively: Make Your Own 40-Day Tiqqunic Learning Program
The two methods of learning discussed above are simply guides - they are not set in stone.
If you would like to elevate your experience of Elul and the High Holidays by learning the Tiqqunim but require an English translation, consider creating your own study program using the translation that is currently available on Sefaria.
Next year, when the complete translation is available - in print and online - you can follow either one of these programs. Alternatively, you can create one of your own again.
Wishing you meaningful Elul and Tishrei, a shana tova u"metuka, and a gmar chatima tova.