During his lifetime, Rav Brandwein continued to write the commentary on the Zohar after the death of his teacher, Rav Yehuda Ashlag, and also began to write a commentary on the Tikunei haZohar entitled Ma’alot haSulam (“Ascents [rungs] of the Ladder”).
For the first time, Kabbalah Centre Publishing has the merit to publish an English translation of Rav Brandwein’s translation and commentary on the Tikunei haZohar for those whose hearts yearn to taste of the Tree of Life of Rav Shimon bar Yochai. Tikunei haZohar Volume 1 is the first in this series of commentaries.
Tikunei haZohar contains seventy different interpretations (tikkunim) by Rav Shimon bar Yochai of the Hebrew word beresheet, the first word of the Torah. Rav Shimon had fled the government that had issued an edict to kill him. While he and his son Rav Elazar hid in a cave in Peki’in for thirteen years, they were taught the entire Tikunei haZohar from Elijah the Prophet and Moses. There were no other disciples present, except these two, which is why there are no conversations among the disciples in the Tikunei haZohar like there are in the Book of Zohar and in Zohar Chadash. It is known that the Tikunei haZohar will help to hasten the coming of the Messiah and is related to, and was put aside, until the Messianic era.
Volume 1 includes the Prologue and Tikkunim 1 – 17,
Volume 2 includes Tikkunim 18 – 22 and completes the commentary by Rav Brandwein, known as Ma’a lot haShulam (“Ascents [rungs] of the Ladder”).
Volume 3 is the third in this series and contains Rabbi Michael Berg’s translation and commentary of Tikkunim 23 – 56, known as Ha’oleh haSulam (“Ascending the Ladder”).