The Messiah part 8

The idea of the suffering Messiah, promulgated by Shlomo Molcho, became a major factor a century and a half later, in the drama of the false Messiah, Shabbetai Tzvi (1626-1676). A Turkish Jew, he suffered from what we now call bipolarism. In his normal "down" state, he was a man of outstanding piety, and considerable scholarship. But, in his "up" state, he would do troubling things, that tormented him when he returned to normal consciousness. He would commit sins. Not the kinds of sins that one might expect. Rather, he would eat forbidden fats, and pronounce the Name of G-d, which the Talmud reckons as one of the greatest possible transgressions. At one point, he married a Torah scroll (!). These actions got him expelled from a number of communities. But more than that, they contradicted his own sense of right and wrong. He sought help for his tribulations. He traveled through the lands of the Mediterranean, eventually arriving in the Holy Land. He went to see the highly respected Kabbalist, Nathan of Gaza. The night before his arrival, Nathan had a mysterious vision. He saw the Divine Chariot (Ezekiel I). But instead of the Glory of G-d sitting on top of it, there was a human figure unknown to him. All night he was unable to move a muscle. When Shabbetai came to him, Nathan recognized him as the man on the Chariot he had seen the night before. He proclaimed Shabbetai Tzvi as the Messiah. As to his strange actions. Nathan developed an entire theology around it, and wrote numerous books. Nathan claimed that Shabbetai fulfilled the descriptions of Shlomo Molcho, whom he declared Shabbetai's forerunner. His theology went as follows: It is a basic concept in the teachings of the ARI that, at creation, the Infinite G-d (Ein Sof) created a void; an "empty space", into which he emanated the "Ten Sefirot", thereby creating the Universe. Nathan put in a variation here. Only the upper regions of the "empty space" had received the creative power of G-d. The lower regions of the Empty Space were devoid of G-d, and were the province of great dragons and monsters. Within this horrible place, dwelt the double layered soul of the Mashiach. The outer layer was evil, and was, in fact, Jesus. The inner layer was the soul of Shabbetai Tzvi, tormented since creation by the absence of the presence of G-d, surrounded by monsters, and stifled by one who Jewish tradition saw as  the most evil of men. Moreover, since G-d was not present in that abyss, the Torah and Mitzvot were not operative. The Torah didn't apply to the Messiah! That was the reason for his sinful behavior. It didn't matter, and was, in fact, an expression of his special reality. He must break out of that prison, rectify the soul of Jesus, and repair the Universe. Shabbetai Tzvi's "mission" lasted briefly. His followers, probably represented the majority of the Jewish world, including most rabbis, (this is often denied vehemently by historical revisionists). In 1666, the predicted year of Deliverance, Shabbetai converted to Islam, albeit under duress. He continued being promoted by Nathan until the latter's death, and conducted himself as outwardly Muslim, but still on a Messianic mission. This was seen as yet another prison from which he must escape. He even began signing his name as "Shabbetai Tzvi, the G-d of Israel". Shabbateanism actually continued far after his death, with evidence of Shabbatean cells in Poland as late as World War I. A sect of his followers and worshipers still exists in Turkey, under the name of the Donmeh. How are we to explain these events? Mental illness? Mass hysteria? Men, women and children were falling into trances and "prophesying". Was he perhaps a potential Messiah, who became ensnared in ego, as was suggested by no less a personage than the Baal ShemTov? It was agreed in the 1670s not to hold these events against those who had been led astray, as most people had been. But what of the rabbis in the next century, who were discovered to still be "believers"? What about the followers, secret and open, of Jacob Frank, who claimed to be Shabbetai's reincarnation in the 18th century, who promulgated orgies in order to hasten the Rectification? A great dispute erupted when one of the greatest rabbis of the mid 18th century accused a colleague of being a "believer". (Most historians, and some rabbis, believe he was right) That dispute divided European Jewry, and caused a general weakening in the acceptance of rabbis in general, paving the way for the spread of Reform. The suspicion continues. In some cases, Some still clash over the issues of who was, or wasn't, Shabbatean.   I think we can now understand why non-orthodox Jews cringe at the very idea of a Messiah. But also most Orthodox Jews are slow to accept Messianic predictions and claims. Chabad is an exception to this, and has garnered much opposition because of that fact. Let us remember the Talmudic warning: "If you are planting a tree, and someone tells you the Messiah has come, finish planting and then check it out". It has been said "More than Israel has kept the Shabbat, the Shabbat has kept Israel". However, in the case of the Messiah, hope has been kept, but often that hope has led to disaster. But, "even though he tarry, I will wait for him". To be continued.