Sefer Ḥalomei Qets Pela’ot (Meora'ot Tzvi 1814) and the Image of Sabbatianism in the 18th and 19th Centuries

Abstract

In 1814 in Kopust, White Russia, R. Israel Jaffe, an adherent of Habad Hasidism, published a particularly interesting book by the name of Sippur Halomot Ketz Hapela’ot, alternately titled Meora’ot Tzvi. He also published late in that same year the first edition of Shivhei haBesht. While the title page of Meora ’ot Tzvi modestly claims that the book is based on the writings of Moses Hagiz, Jacob Sasportas and the Hakham Tzvi, it was in fact of far greater significance. This book was the first Hebrew portrayal ofthe Sabbatean episode as a narrative, not just as a polemic; some scholars have described it as the first Hebrew novel about Sabbateanism. The author remains anonymous, but it is clear that he was learned in the secrets of the Sabbatean movement as well as in the history of other religions. The book was published in multiple editions throughout the nineteenth century, and it was the primary source of knowledge about Sabbeteanism for many. Despite scholarly interest in this work, particularly in the question of its trustworthiness (or lack thereof) as a historical source, no attempt has yet been made to understand its nature, sources or influence. A manuscript of the book was recently discovered—presented here for the first time—which dramatically changes our understanding ofthe book and also raises new questions. The manuscript, composed in the last decades of the eighteenth century, is dedicated primarily to convincing Sabbateans who had converted to Islam to return to Judaism. The anonymous author made use of internal Sabbatean traditions (primarily those connected to the Dönme) and presented his own alternative history, in which he reveals an understanding of the secret magic of Sabbateanism. The manuscript was edited repeatedly, with notes and addenda from multiple hands, each with its own focus, until it found its way to Israel Jaffe, who altered it significantly, removing multiple passages and inserting his own polemics (as on the title page), thereby presenting an entirely new creation befitting his own goals, as he would also do with Shivhei haBesht. By investigating the differences between the manuscript and the printed version, we can ascertain the methods by which the image ofSabbateanism was manufactured in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, along with multiple methods for combating it. In the appendix I bring selected passages from the manuscript.