Me’ora’ot Tsvi and the Construction of Sabbatianism in the Nineteenth Century

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Abstract

In 1814, a book called The Tale of Dreams: The End of Wonders (Sipur halomot kets ha-pla’ot, also called Me’ora’ot tsvi) was published in the town of Kopys. A year later, it was printed there again, this time with corrections, additions and far-reaching changes. 1 The publisher, R. Israel Jaffe, was affiliated with Habad Hasidism, and towards the end of 1814 he printed the first edition of Shivhei ha-Besht (In Praise of the Baʻal Shem Tov). At first glance, Me’ora’ot tsvi seems unexceptional. In nineteenth-century Jewish Eastern Europe, many popular pamphlets of this sort spread wondrous tales, versions of historical events and hagiographic accounts of various holy men. But this book had a sensational topic: the Sabbatian movement. According to its title page, it contained the story of Sabbatai Tsvi, based on the writings of Moshe Hagiz, Jacob Sasportas, and Tsvi Hirsch Ashkenazi, the Hakham Tsvi.
Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationMaking History Jewish
Subtitle of host publicationThe Dialectics of Jewish History in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, Studies in Honor of Professor Israel Bartal
EditorsPaweł Maciejko, Scott Ury
PublisherBrill
Pages30-51
Number of pages22
ISBN (Electronic)9789004431973
ISBN (Print)9789004431966
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 2020

Publication series

NameStudia Judaeoslavica
PublisherBrill
Number12
ISSN (Electronic)1876-6153

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cultural Studies
  • History
  • Religious studies

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