Shabbetai Sheftel Horowitz the Elder

A kabbalist and medical doctor from Prague, Shabbetai Sheftel Horowitz was known as “the Elder,” to distinguish him from his cousin, “Shabbetai Sheftel the Younger,” son of Isaiah Horowitz, author of Shene luḥot ha-brit. Shabbetai Sheftel the Elder’s first book, Levushe adam ha-rishon (Clothing of the Primordial Man), has not survived but is mentioned in his second, Shefa‘ tal (Abundance of Dew, 1612). Framed as a commentary on older kabbalistic works, Shefa‘ tal spurred controversy among some of its readers, leading Horowitz to compose Nishmat Shabbetai ha-Levi (The Breath of Shabbetai ha-Levi) in response.