Monday, September 9, 2013

Ilana Wolf

4. What new rituals did Safed Kabbalah create? 

Many new practices and rituals were created in Safed Kabbalah. The main rituals involve the night vigils during Shavuot, Passover, and Hoshanah Rebah and a nightly vigil, tikkun hazot. Hayyim Vital the order of what should be on the first night of Shavuot. This was made into a book that is still used today. A ritual was created for both Passover, which celebrates the Israelites crossing of the Red Sea and for Hoshanah Rebah, which includes prayer and repentance. Another type of ritual that was practice was the nightly ritual of tikkun hazot, consisting of two parts. Other rituals that became practiced include getting ready for the Sabbath on Thursday night, using the mikvah, reading the Songs of Songs, singing “Lekha Dodi, and having a Sabbath meal. Additional rituals that are still used today include taking the Torah out of the ark when it is read in the Synagogue and reciting the Shema before going to bed. I find it extremely interesting that we still use some of the same rituals and practices that were created in Safed.

2. What was the life story of Shabbetai Zevi? How did he come to believe that he was the messiah? What were his relations with Nathan of Gaza? How did Jews receive his announcement that he was the messiah?

Shabbetai Zevi was proclaimed to be the messiah. He grew up in Symrna with his father, with his father being a sickly merchant. Zevi immersed himself in his studies, becoming proficient in the languages of Hebrew and Arabic. He also studied divinity. He was eventually kicked out of Smyrna, wandered around the Middle east and met another Jew named Nathan of Gaza. Nathan preached Shabbetai Zevi’s beliefs and philosophies. He went back to Smyrna where he was initially not accepted, but then became established. At the time, the Jews at the time were expecting and preparing for the Messiah. He told people that God told him to visit Constantinople. Then sent to prison for causing problems where he went. When he was in prison, he still had followers because his situation matched what tradition taught. While he was in prison he converted to Islam because he would be killed if he did not. Even after his death his faithful supporters formed a secret Muslim-Jewish sect called the Donmeh. 

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