Abstract
Promoted by Nathan of Gaza—a reputable figure—Sabbatai Tzvi was hailed as the messiah across the Jewish communities of the medieval world, thousands flocking to his side. One of his prominent detractors was R. Jacob Sasportas, who wrote numerous letters to his peers—rabbis of the western Sephardi diaspora—in order to dissuade them from giving Sabbatai their support and prove Nathan to be a false prophet. Much of Tzitzat novel Tzvi consists of his extensive correspondence on the subject, together with the responses he received. The rich language in which it is couched reflects the biblical citations on which all the parties drew in order to clarify their position and substantiate their arguments. Herein, I examine this significant but relatively neglected phenomenon, focusing primarily on Sasportas’ exegesis of Scripture and the peculiar meanings the biblical text assumed within the context of the polemic.
Highlights
Sabbatai Tzvi’s emergence on the stage of Jewish history was unprecedented in its effect and import, creating waves that rippled through the Jewish world for generations to come (Barnai 2014, pp. 570–94)
In order to undermine the legitimacy of the false prophet, Sasportas cited biblical verses traditionally associated with the coming of the messiah that in his view Sabbatai Tzvi had not fulfilled
I have sought to demonstrate the use of biblical texts in the Sabbatean polemic as exemplified in R
Summary
Sabbatai Tzvi’s emergence on the stage of Jewish history was unprecedented in its effect and import, creating waves that rippled through the Jewish world for generations to come (Barnai 2014, pp. 570–94). A native of Izmir, Sabbatai Tzvi was regarded as strange from his birth, engaging in dramatic, unexpected actions and suffering from sharp mood swings Today, he is frequently thought to have had a severe form of bipolar disorder Tzvi from the moment he heard about him, despite the fact that he did not initially appear to dismiss his messianic claims While he initially credited the rumors, he changed his mind when news of Sabbatai’s antinomianism reached him, becoming a fierce and fervid detractor The writers frequently sought to “actualize” the biblical verses to fit their modern-day ideology This flexible form of exegesis can be traced back to early rabbinic midrashim. Judah Loew’s arguments, for example, made almost half a century prior to the emergence of the Sabbatean movement (Bokser 1994, pp. 34, 139; Sherwin 2006, p. 172; Ramon 2017, p. 19)
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