A few days back I both promised and threatened to explain why Issac "the Ari" Luria was a proto-modern. Sadly, my sense is you don't care, so here, instead, is a fun fact to know and tell:
According to Luria's most important disciple, Rabbi Hayyim Vital, the eminent kabbalist Rabbi Israel Najara, author of the most popular of the Sabbath zmirot (table hymns), "Ya Ribon Olam," sometimes engaged in homosexual behavior when drunk.
Do with that as you wish. The source is Physician of the Soul, Healer of the Cosmos: Isaac Luria and his Kabbalistic Fellowship by Lawrence Fine
