Sabbatai Zevi

Sabbatai Zevi, (????? ??? Shabtai Tzvi in Hebrew) (also known as Shabbethai, Shabbetai, Sabbetai, or Shabtai; Zvi or Tzvi) (July 23 1626–possibly September 30 1676) was a claimed Messiah and Kabbalist. He was the founder of the Donmeh sect, which flourished in the Ottoman Empire, and which drew elements from Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, as well as of the more Judaism-influenced Sabbatian movement (Sabbatianism), which continued in Europe after his death.

Zevi's early years

In accordance with the prevailing custom of Jews, Sabbatai's father had him study Talmud. In his early youth he attended a yeshiva under the veteran rabbi of Smyrna, Joseph Escapa; studies in halakha did not appeal to him, but apparently he did attain proficiency in the Talmud. On the other hand, he was fascinated by mysticism and the Kabbalah, in the prevailing style of Isaac Luria. He found the practical Kabbalah, with its asceticism, and its mortification of the body – through which its devotees claimed to be able to communicate with God and the angels, to predict the future, and to perform all sorts of miracles – especially appealing.

Related Topics:
Jew - Talmud - Yeshiva - Rabbi - Smyrna - Joseph Escapa - Halakha - Mysticism - Kabbalah - Isaac Luria - Ascetic - Mortification - God - Angel - Predict the future - Miracle

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In his youth he inclined to solitude. According to custom he married early, but avoided intercourse with his wife; she therefore applied for a divorce, which he willingly granted. The same thing happened with a second wife. Later, when he became more imbued with Kabbalah, he lost mental equilibrium. He imposed the severest mortifications on himself: he bathed frequently in the sea, even in winter, fasted for days on end, and lived constantly in either a state of complete ecstasy, or intense depression, which seems to suggest that he may have been suffering from bipolar disorder.

Related Topics:
Ecstasy - Depression - Bipolar disorder

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