Rabbi Moshe Cordovero, the Ramak, was born in 1522, the son of Rabbi Yaakov; his birthplace is unknown, but his name points to a family from Córdoba in Spain. He grew up and lived in Safed, where he studied Talmud and halacha under Rabbi Yosef Karo and was ordained a dayan by Rabbi Yaakov Beirav. He married the sister of Rabbi Shlomo Alkabetz, author of "Lecha Dodi", and at twenty began studying Kabbalah with his brother-in-law.

A few years later he became a rosh yeshiva in Safed. Among his students were Rabbi Chaim Vital, later the editor of the Arizal's writings, and Rabbi Eliyahu de Vidas, author of Reishit Chochmah. He was one of the greatest kabbalists of Safed.

His major work, Pardes Rimonim, is the first great systematic synthesis of Kabbalah: he briefly presents the systems of the Rishonim on many subjects, discusses them and decides between them, organising the entire Zohar tradition. He also wrote Or Yakar, a vast commentary on the Zohar and the Tikkunim, and Tomer Devorah, a short ethical treatise on imitating the divine attributes, still widely studied. His writings influenced the teaching of the Arizal, who reached Safed shortly before his death and regarded him as his teacher.

He passed away on 23 Tammuz 5330 (1570) and rests in the old cemetery of Safed.