Therefore, there is no absolute obligation for a free Jewish person (a Torah scholar who engages in the study of Torah for its sake, loyal to his God, and assured that the true secrets of the Torah are revealed to him) to assume responsibility for them [the questionable parts], decreeing that they are all absolutely genuine, pure, and trustworthy without any doubt or hesitation in the world.
Even the compilation of the Zohar itself, every essential principle was not composed by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, despite being attributed to him and named after him (as was the case with several earlier and later books for the most part). Rather, it was the students of his students' students who gathered and compiled it without a doubt, as already sensed in the accurate genealogical book (and what is mentioned there, that it was composed a year after the death of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, seems to be a printing error; it should be "six hundred" instead of "a year"). It is evident and clear to me with the help of divine inspiration (b'se'od) that it occurred three hundred years after the time of the true Tanna of the Mishnah, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.Even the compilation of the Zohar itself, every essential principle was not composed by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, despite being attributed to him and named after him (as was the case with several earlier and later books for the most part). Rather, it was the students of his students' students who gathered and compiled it without a doubt, as already sensed in the accurate genealogical book (and what is mentioned there, that it was composed a year after the death of Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai, seems to be a printing error; it should be "six hundred" instead of "a year"). It is evident and clear to me with the help of divine inspiration (b'se'od) that it occurred three hundred years after the time of the true Tanna of the Mishnah, Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai.