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Has anyone attempted to write a historical sketch of the history of the shalsheles HaKabbalah (which, in this instance, I use to refer to Toras HaSod)? In other words, what was megale to Moshe Rabbenu, what Rav Shimon Bar Yochai did to (skipping many many generations, I know) what the Ramak did to what the Arizal did etc.
Looking for a non-academic work, if it exists.
The following link is a rough translation into English of an introduction that appeared in a reprint of Sefer Shomer Emunim in 1965. It was originally written by Rabbi Yitzchok Stern of Givat Shaul in Israel.
It was intended to be read together with Sefer Shomer Emunim which is considered an introduction to learning the Sod aspect of the Torah.
It gives a historical sketch from the time of Moshe Rabbeinu up until the time of the Ba'al Shem Tov and the early generations of the Chassidic movement.
In Rav Elya Weintraub's sefer Nefesh Eliyahu- Hakdamos V'Shiurim, he has an essay where he dedicates part of the essay to explaining the development of Kabbalah from Rav Shimon Bar Yochai to the Vilna Gaon.
