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Is there any source [historical, academic, mystical] that the Arizal's daughter married the son of R' Yosef Karo, author of Shulchan Aruch?

I see this mentioned in this article (unsourced), and noticed a similar claim on this forum (citing a story about the shidduch to 'Shivchei Ari' - I couldn't find this in a OCR search of Shivchei Ari).

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  • I read this in a French-language biography of the Arizal called "Ari HaKodech." No source was given.
    – יהושע ק
    Commented Sep 27 at 12:01
  • I kind of want to ask you to post this on Skeptics SE instead just to see what would happen.
    – Yehuda
    Commented Sep 27 at 18:40

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The source for this legend is toward the end of Shivhei HaAri, by R. Shlomo Shlomil Ben Chaim. There, R. Shlomil writes the following story:

ואני הצעיר שלמה מעיד שדברתי עם אלמנותו של רי"ק ז"ל וסיפרה לי שמהררי"ק היה לו בן נחמד ושידך אותו עם בתו של האריז״ל והלך מהררי״ק עם בנו לסעודת אירוסין לביתו של האריז״ל כיון שחזר לביתו אמר מהררי״ק לאשתו אשתי אשתי מה אומר לך או מה אספר מהרזים ומהטעמי התורה והמצוה מה ידיעה הרווחתי עתה בזה הסעודה מפי הקדוש של ר׳ יצחק אשכנזי היכן הוא כח ביד שום מלאך לידע מה שיודע הוא אין זה כי אם נשמה אחת מהנביאים הראשונים שאפילו תנא אחר אינו יכול לומר מה שאמר הוא אבל אני מפחד עליו בעו״ה מאור שזה הדור הגרוע לא יכול לסבול רוב קדושתו ויוקח ויאבד מהם בקוצר שנים בעונות וכן היה

And I, the young Shlomo, testify that I spoke with Rav Yosef Karo's widow and she told me that Rav Karo had a fine son and matched him with the daughter of the Arizal. And it went, that after Rav Karo went with his son to the engagement meal at the Arizal's house he returned to his home and Rav Karo said to his wife: "My wife, my wife, what can I say or tell you of the mysteries of the Torah and Mitzvot? How much knowledge have I now gained during this feast from the holy mouth of R. Yitzchak Ashkenazi [Luria]. He holds knowledge beyond what any angel knows, and there's no doubt he has the soul of one of the early prophets. Even a Tanna could not teach what he taught. But I am afraid for him. It is clear that this is the worst generation, which cannot tolerate his holiness, and he will be taken away and lost to them at an early age." And so it was.

Does this mean their children indeed married? It's hard to know. R. Shlomil came to Tzfat some 30 years after the Arizal died, and his book mixes verifiable historical information with many folkloric legends about the miracles and powers of the Arizal. So take it with a grain of salt.

That the Arizal and R. Yosef Karo knew each other is undisputed, as we have a teshuva from R. Karo, answering a question posed by the Arizal on the halakha of a business after a partner dies (cf. Avkat Rokhel #136).

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  • +1. Who is R' Shlomil?
    – chortkov2
    Commented Sep 27 at 13:46
  • I know this is commonly accepted as fact, but is there any evidence that the teshuva in Avkat Rochel is indeed to the Arizal? There were other mekubalim called Yitzchok too...
    – chortkov2
    Commented Sep 27 at 13:48
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    @chortkov2 שאלה למהר"ר יצחק אשכנזי המקובל האלהי זצוק"ל Sounds pretty on the nose to me
    – Aryeh
    Commented Sep 28 at 19:00
  • I apparently missed the word Ashkenzi.
    – chortkov2
    Commented Sep 28 at 19:15
  • R. Shlomil was one of various rabbis who left their homes (in his case, Dreznitz in Moravia) for Tzfat after hearing about the Arizal and his teachings. We know he divorced his wife and abandoned his family to make the journey, but there's not much info known about him beyond what he says in his book (which does give a first-hand glimpse of Tzfat in the early 1600s).
    – Aryeh
    Commented Sep 28 at 19:16

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