Scandalous Repercussions

To end the segment on Sabbatianism, two particular persons who were important, famous, and influential in the movement, later on in the mid-18th century, creating dramatic episodes - Jacob Frank who converted along with his followers to Christianity, and Jonathan Eibeschutz, a very prominent rabbi in mainstream circles, who denied being a secret Sabbatian in face of accusations, causing much distress within the Jewish communities.

The Frankists

At the end of the era of Shabbtai Zvi and Nathan of Gaza, as the years passed, the Sabbatian following was stronger in cities in Turkey and neighboring areas, in Ismir, Kushta, Saloniki, Aleppo, and in the Balkans - where Nathan of Gaza spent his last days. 

The community in Saloniki was probably the most zealous and closest to Shabbtai Zvi himself in their ways - it was there that his wife and family dwelt, his wife and brothers. They converted in 1683 led by the brother of his (latter) wife, who supposedly possessed the soul of Shabbtai Zvi. 

But in 1716 another leader popped up, named Baruchya, also known as Osman Baba, also the transmigrated soul of Shabbtai Zvi himself. And he was elevated and spiritualized more and more until he was perceived as a man of divine proportions in this world. He made their strange acts, the intentional transgressions, from an eclectic option or opportunity to a demand for all of them.

Following that act of the Saloniki community of Sabbatians and their leaders, mid-18th century a young Polish Jew named Jakob Frank come to the fore…

Frank was actually born into a Sabbatian family. Later he traveled around visiting Sabbatian communities in Turkey and the Balkans, where people started calling him ‘frank’, which alluded to an Ashkenazi, because for them he was a foreigner...

Then Frank returned to Poland, where there they also called him ‘frank’, alluding to the East, where he had just come back from. So he was, Jacob Frank.

Upon returning to Poland, Frank declared he was the new gilgul, transmigration, of Shabbtai Zvi himself, and managed to generate a following from among the Sabbatians in the area. Frank’s behavior, customs, and sayings, were even stranger - even for Sabbatians, even for Donmeh.

Frank did not conceal his ways from the public, causing a ruckus from the broader Jewish community, to the point that the Polish authorities intervened.

So what did they do? Frank and his followers decided to convert to Christianity, and were supported skeptically by the governing bodies and by the Church.

It was in that context that the Frankists agreed to debate publicly against Judaism - twice in 2 different cities, in Poland, in 1757 and in 1759 (during which they also stated that the antisemitic blood libels are indeed true!).

Despite all the lies, the Polish understood the deceit of Jakob Frank, and so they imprisoned him in a fortress in the city Czestochowa (Chestakhova) as a Christain heretic.

His status there was similar to that of Shabbtai Zvi! He received visitors and de facto managed his cultic operation from prison. 

Frank was released in 1773. He traveled West, to Prague and Offenbach and for years took in more disciples and somehow managed to achieve a mysterious connection with the different royal courts, maybe because he taught them Jewish mysticism and Kabbalah and impressed them with charm - WE DON'T KNOW! 

His teachings were extremely crude, bizarre, and nihilistic. The Frankists are remembered historically for practicing customs and rituals of group sexual nature - there were rumours but actually there is no concrete evidence for this... (We wouldn’t put it past him / them though!)

Rabbi Jonathan Eibeschutz

Parallel to the Frankist phenomenon in the middle of the 18th century in central Europe, another case of scandalous division shook the Jewish communities - but in this case, the main persona was quite the opposite of Jakob Frank...

It was the peak of crypto-Sabbatianism: Jews who seemed totally ‘normal’ secretly believe in Shabbtai Zvi as Messiah and practiced their secret customs among secret networks.

Eibeschutz was a mainstream rabbinical figure, highly respected and esteemed internationally, a prodigy from the heart of the rabbinical institutions. He was accused of Sabbatian heresy, after raised suspicions over subtle messages in his writings, suggestive of Sabbatianism. 

They not only had ‘cult’ interpretations, they also had tokens granted to one another among their sub-communities, including those of Eibeschutz.

[Interestingly enough, in typical Sabbatian absurdity, Eibeschutz, long before the accusations, himself signed campaigns against Sabbatian heretics in various communities, along with other rabbis!]

Eibeschutz (naturally) denied any and all affinity to Sabbatianism. At the time it was not proven, although accusations were accepted in many circles. Leaders and communities were TORN over the matter. Even the Gaon of Vilna supported Eibeschutz in the beginning of the scandal.

There was much chaos, suspicions and accusations shot in every direcation. A crazy amount of confusion and feelings of betrayal, as such an important and respectable figure was assumed to be a secret Sabbatian within the system, in the communities.

In recent years it has been confirmed by scholars that the accusations were true.

Bridging into Hasidism

Jumping back to one of the early Sabbatian questions by scholars - in the aftermath of it all, historians wondered how the Lurianic Kabbalah spread so quickly, creating the soil for Sabbatianism to spread… for the Sabbatian movement was broadly based on Lurianic Kabbalah.

It is logical that it worked the other way around - somehow Sabbatianism spread like wildfire, and in doing so spread Lurianic Kabbalah, in the context of the messianic fervor.

This notion was not proposed nor accepted so much, because it gives credit to Sabbatianism for something that is widely accepted within Judaism, so no one wants to go there.

And also because the prominent scholar Gershom Scholem set the tone so strongly that it was spread before Sabbatianism, that even after his premises were debunked, scholarly opinion is slow to go to the next step.

Also, this is perhaps why until today Lurianic Kabbalah is considered such a messianic thing, because of traditional association:

Lurianic Kabbalah was spread and received and internalized in the context of zealous Sabbatian messianism. Lurianic Kabbalah was considered messianic.

Then, when Sabbatianism fell, the Lurianic Kabbalah remained and remained as messianic - through Hasidic spiritualism.

From the Sabbatian movement forward, messianism in Hasidic thinking and Lurianic Kabbalah in Hasidic spirituality in general is prominent. 

With that in mind, we enter into Hasidism, the spiritual movement of Eastern European Judaism, that started in the middle of the 18th century, right at the time of the Frankism and Eibeschutz scandals, parallel to them.