Shabbetai Tzvi ben Mordechai was born in Smyrna on July 23, 1626, the 9th of Av on the Jewish calendar. He studied Talmud at the Yeshiva of Rabbi Joseph Escapa. He was not drawn to the study of Talmud, but rather to mysticism and practical Kabbalah. At that time, it was believed that the Messianic era was imminent, an idea promoted by groups of English Christians with whom his father had contact, as he was the representative of an English company.

These ideas, coupled with calculations based on the Zohar, influenced Shabbetai’s restless mind, and at the age of 22, he proclaimed himself the Messiah before a group of followers, whom he had convinced with his knowledge of Kabbalah, his personality, and his strange behavior. The rabbis of Smyrna expelled him from the community. He arrived in Constantinople, where he met Abraham Ha-Yakini, a preacher who helped confirm his messianic dreams. To this end, Ha-Yakini prepared a manuscript, imitating the ancient writing style, in which he declared that in the year 5386 (1626), a son would be born to Mordechai Tzvi, who would be called Shabbetai and would be the true Messiah. With this forged document, Shabbetai went to Salonika, where he again proclaimed himself the Messiah to new supporters, impressed by his mystical tricks, such as «marrying the Torah.» The rabbis of Salonika expelled him, and after traveling through several cities, he arrived in Cairo, where he met Raphael Joseph Halavi, a wealthy Jew from Aleppo who, despite his wealth, led an ascetic life. Halavi used his fortune to help young Talmudic and Kabbalah scholars and soon became one of the most enthusiastic promoters of Shabbetai’s messianic plans.

Shabbetai decided to go to Jerusalem. There, he recruited new followers through a theatrical display: singing psalms all night, praying at the tombs of pious sages, mortifying his body with fasting and other penances, and even weeping profusely. Shabbetai returned to Cairo, where he learned the story of Sarah, a Jewish girl who had been a victim of the Chmelnitsky pogroms in Poland. Sarah was rescued by nuns and imprisoned in a convent, from which she escaped and ended up living in Amsterdam, where she led a rather eccentric life until the idea occurred to him that she was destined to be the bride of the Messiah. Shabbetai decided to send for her to marry her. As his wife, Sarah’s charm helped him gain more followers. On the way to Jerusalem and passing through the city of Gaza, he met Nathan Ghazzati, who became his confidant and assumed the role of the prophet Elijah.

With Halavi’s money, a charming wife, and many followers, he arrived in Smyrna in the fall of 1665, where he publicly declared himself the long-awaited Messiah. This took place in the synagogue, with the sound of the shofar and a crowd shouting «Long live our king, our Messiah!» His popularity grew incredibly rapidly, and his fame spread to many countries.

He went to Constantinople, where he hoped to be crowned the Messiah, but was imprisoned by the Turkish authorities. Even while in prison, his movement grew in strength, which worried the Turks, who eventually brought him to trial. Someone advised him that the only thing that could save his life was to convert to Islam. And Shabbetai did so. The disappointment among his followers was enormous. Shabetai was another of those false leaders whom people believe.

By Marcos Gojman.

Bibliography: Article by Kaufmann Kohler and Henry Malter and other sources.