The Opponents
The rabbis of Jerusalem—Nosson of Gaza's hometown—disbelieved his prophecies. The rabbis of Alexandria had their reservations. The rabbis of Izmir placed a cheirem on Shabsai Tzvi when he enunciated Hashem's Holy name (a sin for which one loses his share in the World to Come) and shut the doors of the synagogue in his face. On Shabbos, he broke down the door—another sin!
The lives of Izmir's rabbis became endangered, for Shabsai Tzvi's followers vowed to avenge them. In order not to avoid joining the errant, they fled the city.
These accounts portray acts of courage and moral strength. But such behavior was predictable, for it is a mitzvah, ``not to fear men.''
These rabbis were at the forefront, and could assess the character of the leaders of the Shabsai Tzvi movement, and of the false prophet and false messiah. The could uncover the network of lies and the fraudulent facade.
HaRav Yaakov Sasportes: An Early Opponent
But in distant Hamburg there was a man knew no rest—the gaon, Rabbi Yaakov Sasportes. With all his might, he aroused, warned and exhorted.
He was born and educated in Oran, a community in North Africa. At the tender age of nine, he already probed deep halachic issues. At eighteen he served as a dayan in Tlemsan, Morocco. At twenty four he was appointed its Av Beis Din. He was recognized as the Jewish authority over a wide area there.
He was like a king, and that is why he incurred the jealousy of the rulers. They imprisoned and tortured him, demanding an exorbitant ransom for his release. He was freed at the age of thirty seven, but he had to leave.
He visited many communities in Europe. Most of the time he was based in Amsterdam. At one point he was offered to head the Sephardic community in London, but he had to leave because of an outbreak of the plague.
Eventually he returned to Amsterdam where he became one of her gedolim. In time he became the special emissary of the king of Morocco to the King of Spain, and the Jews of Sali accepted him as their rav. When a war broke out, his reign was curtailed, and he escaped to Hamburg, maintaining his link to the Jews of Sali through the letters and questions they sent him. As he himself wrote: "My net is yet cast [over there] and I am still called `rabban' there."
He was very brilliant, and had mastered all the Torah, including both Talmud Bavli and Yerushalmi. He even edited an index to the Talmud Yerushalmi, which he arranged according to the verses mentioned there. His halachic decisions were accepted unquestionably.
When he was eighty-three, he was asked to take over at the passing of HaRav Yitzchok Abuhav as rabbi of Amsterdam and occupied this position for five years, until his death on the fourth of Iyar, 5458.
His son published a sefer of his responsa entitled Ohel Yaakov.
One of the First Opponents of the Sha'Tz
While in Hamburg, he heard about the Shabsai Tzvi movement, and it was from there that he waged his incessant battle.
Hamburg's masses were thrilled by ``news'' of the geula's imminence, and were roused by the letters, the accounts and the rumors. Jews sold their possessions for a pittance in their desire to go up to Eretz Yisroel. They fasted and wept and retold the stories they had heard.
Only one refused to listen to these stories. Instead he reproved and exhorted, ruling that the rumors were false and vain. He warned that the edifice they had built would soon collapse, and bury the celebrants under it. That man was Rabbi Yaakov Sasportes.
He was asked: ``From where do you derive the strength to oppose the mainstream, and to remain so firm?''
He was asked: ``Perhaps he is Moshiach? Perhaps prophecy has been renewed. Perhaps the salvation is nigh? Perhaps? How can you be sure?"
But R' Yaakov had no doubts whatsoever.
How did he know? After all he was in Hamburg, amidst a revelling throng, and the happenings were transpiring in the distant East. All the tidings seemed to have proven true. Emissaries who had travelled East to investigate the matter, returned with praises for Shabsai Tzvi, and described the glory of the false Moshiach. They were enamored by his personality, and quoted his ``divrei Torah,'' his deep secrets, his overflowing wisdom. They spoke about the miracles he performed— hair-raising wonders, indeed!
But they could not influence Rabbi Yaakov Sasportes. He had no doubts whatsoever.
Why? Because he knew the truth: Moshiach, geula and prophecy will not impugn one crownlet of our sacred Torah. A Moshiach who transgresses is a false Moshiach—a meisis umeidi'ach. No, he can't even transgress a rabbinic ordinance. Not even the point of a crownlet.
People offered excuses: ``The Moshiach knows the innermost aspects of his deeds. It is a hora'as sho'oh. He is acting in accordance with kabbalistic secrets, and hidden meanings."
But Rabbi Yaakov Sasportes knew that the letter Peh in the word Pardes stands for pshat, and that pshat is the prerequisite of drash, remez and sod. He knows that there is only one Torah, and that it is unalterable, and that ``one thousand men like Shlomo may perish, and not one letter of the Torah will be uprooted.''
Rabbi Yaakov, with his extensive knowledge and wisdom, scanned the Torah and the Midrash, the gemara and the Zohar. He deciphered the sequence of the geula, and saw that Eliyahu Hanovi will herald it, and prior to its advent, the rainbow will appear in all its colors. He reviewed all its portents, examined the letters, listened to the rumors and revealed the fraud.
Torah is true! Torah is the blueprint of the world; it is geula's blueprint, and not one of its portents will fail to materialize.
He was frightened. He feared the false fervor. That is how Christianity began, he explained. At first a small group of believers clustered around the false messiah. The messiah was killed, but the believers failed to recognize their error. The were ashamed to retreat, and fashioned a new Torah based on fairy tales, blocking their return to truth.
He cried: ``They are sinning in the name of the Kabboloh, and are adorning an ordinary man with a Messianic halo. One day, their bubble will burst, and the fairy tales will remain hanging in the air. But not for long. The believers will not retreat, and a new ``Torah'' will emerge. New fairy tales will be told, in order to cover up and excuse.
Rabbi Sasportes feared, warned and exhorted, because he saw the truth, and verified every rumor according to the true light of Torah.
And he was correct. Facts proved his fears to be true. The future events corroborated his warnings. It wasn't he who was correct, but his Torah, Toras emes. ``Titein emes LeYaakov''.
Tsitsas Noveil Tzvi
Rav Yaakov's most famous work is the sefer Tsitsas Noveil Tzvi. It is a collection of letters and pamphlets issued by followers of Shabsai Tzvi, and his detailed answers to them.
Rav Yaakov sent his letters all over, and they were very influential in stopping the spread of Shabsa'us.
The book covers the years 5426 to 5436, which was the beginning of the big public announcements of Shabsai Tzvi. It was at the end of 5426 that the Sha'Tz converted to Islam. Even two years later, Rav Sasportes had to write many letters to refute renewed claims that the Moshiach had really come in the person of the Sha'Tz—despite the fact that he had officially converted!
In was at the very beginning of 5437 that the Sha'Tz died, but throughout interest continued and there were many who remained believers. No matter what happened, they had an answer and a ready explanation.
HaRav Yaakov Sasportes knew the truth from the beginning, when the activities of Shabsai Tzvi did not follow the outlines laid out by chazal, and when he deviated from halacha. He feared, warned and exhorted, because he saw the truth, and verified every rumor according to the true light of Torah. And he was correct. Facts proved his fears to be true. The future events corroborated his warnings. It wasn't he personally who was correct, but his Torah, Toras emes.
``Titein emes LeYaakov''.
