Don Quixote and Sancho Panza Were Walking on the Way: El Caballero Andante and the Book of Radiance (Sefer HaZohar)

That Miguel de Cervantes was quite likely a converso and that his masterpiece Don Quixote explores quintessential converso concerns is now widely accepted. This article extends the converso hypothesis through an examination of literary and phenomenological similarities between Don Quixote and the kabbalistic classic, the Zohar. Rather than claim direct historical influence, I offer an analysis of some shared themes, motifs, and literary strategies. In particular, I highlight the centrality of the journey motif and the high degree of self-reflexivity and self-consciousness which lie at the heart of both the Zohar and Don Quixote. I conclude with an admittedly more speculative reading of the famous scene from the Cave of Montesinos, which I suggest may well be a quixotic parody of mystical experience. The Zohar deserves a place in the literary prehistory of Don Quixote, and aspects of both works are clarified and enhanced when viewed against one another.