The present form of the Maggid Mesharim shows plainly that it was never intended for publication, being merely a collection of stray notes; nor does Karo's son Judah mention the book among his father's works (Introduction to the Responsa).

[1] The Maggid Mesharim, furthermore, shows an alleged knowledge of Karo's public and private life that some feel that no one could have possessed after his death.

Scholar and Rabbi Louis Jacobs concluded that "Followers of the Haskalah, embarrassed that one of their heroes, with his keen logical mind should have kept a mystical diary, denied that Caro was the author of the Maggid Mesharim.

His mentor also advised him in family affairs, told him what reputation he enjoyed in heaven, and praised or criticized his decisions in religious questions.

Such information was in the nature of sundry kabbalistic interpretations of the Pentateuch that in content, though not in form, remind one of the theories of Karo's pupil, Moses ben Jacob Cordovero.