The Train wreck part 1

I have in the past expressed my opinion that the events surrounding the Shabbatean debacle of the Seventeenth Century, was by far the greatest calamity to befall the Jewish people. I am perturbed that most writers portray it as a minor glitch; a small fender bender. I have read in many popular books that only a small number of people were involved, while all the rabbis urged caution. This is a blatant lie...or deliberate cover-up. In fact, nearly all rabbis at the time were enthusiastic followers of the false Messiah, with a very small group opposing him, and a somewhat larger group taking a wait and see attitude. The fender bender was, in reality, more of a train wreck, from which we never recovered. I have spoken of this some in earlier posts. Now, I wish to delve into it in more depth. First, a brief historical review. Shabetai Tzvi was born in Smyrna (Izmir), Turkey, in 1626. He was a rabbi and scholar, but suffered from what we today call bipolar disorder. In his "up" phases, he would perform strange acts, like uttering the Divine Name, eating forbidden foods, and even marrying a Torah scroll! In his "down" phases, he would deeply regret his actions, and do acts of penance. The great massacres of Jews in Poland and Ukraine in 1648 and 1649 made a deep, dark impression on him, as they did most Jews. Messiah fever was in the air, which has often caused us more suffering than the persecutions themselves. Shabbetai travelled around the Meditteranean basin, in search of a cure for himself. He hesitatingly declared his Messiahship on several occasions. In the early 1660s, he met the acclaimed Kabbalist, Nathan of Gaza (yes, Jews lived in Gaza). I can not explain what happened. The night before Shabbetais arrival at his home, Nathan had a vision of the Divine Chariot. Sitting on the throne above the chariot, was a figure Nathan did not recognize. He lay motionless on the floor all night. The next day, Shabbetai arrived, and Nathan recognized him as the figure in his vision. Nathan devised an entire theology around Shabbetain, at once explaining his strange behavior, as well as containing a message of deliverance. According to Nathan, Shabbetai's soul had been, from creation, in an abyss inhabited by dragons and monsters. These creatures were torturing him even now, in a vain attempt to prevent the Redemption. Worst of all, this abyss also contained the soul of Jesus, desperately trying to prevent the revelation of the true Messiah. What's more, this plane of existence was on a level where the laws of the Torah didn't apply, therefore making Shabbetai not bound by the normal rules of Jewish behavior. 1666 would be the year of the final Redemption. Many Christian mystics had named that year as the date of the Second Coming. The tension was great. Rumors had spread throughout Europe that Shabbaetai had raised a huge army, and had already destroyed Mecca. He was now marching on Rome! Fear gripped Christendom! Shabbetai went to Turkey, with the idea of converting the Sultan to Judaism. Instead, he was put in prison, and given a choice of death, or conversion to Islam. He converted, which sent shockwaves through the Jewish world. Most of his followers abandoned him at that point. He began signing letters as "The G-d of Israel". Nathan wrote books telling people not to despair. This was merely another stage of Shabbetai's battle with evil. Many followers still followed him to his prison island, where he ordered some 300 of them to likewise convert to Islam. But it wasn't really Islam. It was, and is (!) Islamic in form, but with the worship of Shabbetai instead of Allah. Some 9,000 still live in Turkey. Shabbetai lived for another decade, with Nathan as his loyal propagandist. Even after his death, secret bands of followers existed, usually incognito. Even many famous rabbis were secret adherents of the new cult. A century later, a Polish Jew named Jacob Frank, declared himself to be the reincarnation of Shabbetai Tzvi. Together with 10,000 followers, he converted to Catholicism. But he founded a cult with Shabbetai, and himself, at its center, rather than Jesus. His approach was Nihilism; destroy everything that is, and something much greater will come about in its place. He organized orgies, were both incest and adultery were practiced. There is documentation of Frankist cells operating as late as World War I. Some claim they still exist. What is abundantly clear to me, is every Jewish group that now exists, has been tainted by Shabbateanism and Frankism. I will divide these into three groups. First, those that sprouted directly from these movements, albeit with shifts in ideology. Second, those groups that arose in opposition to these movements, that, in my view, jettisoned the baby with the bathwater. Spirituality and emotion were thoroughly banished as too dangerous. Third, those groups that ignored these movements, but inadvertently adopted some of their ideology or practices. I shall analyze these in this series.