Randazzo Questions for 9/9

4. What new rituals did Safed Kabbalah create?
In the second half of the 16^th century, Safed Kabbalah became the nucleus for spirituality. This spiritual revolution changed Judaism throughout the whole world. The two main factors that attracted skilled Kabbalists to Safed were: a stable economic society and the close proximity to the graves of Rabbi Simeon bar Yohai and the heroes of Zohar. Some of the new Kabbalist traditions included communication with the spirits of dead mystical figures at their gravesites. “Tikkun Layl Shavuot” is a ritual started by Solomon Alkabetz and Joseph Karo that includes reading various religious texts over the course of the night in preparation for receiving the Torah on Shavout. Isaac Luria, the central figure of the Kabbalistic revolution during the second half of the 16^th century, developed a new approach to Kabbalistic thought known as Lurianic Kabbalah. Although most of his teachings are lost, his disciples carried them on. There are two types of rituals called tikkunim. “The first type includes the night vigils on the festivals of Shavuot, Passover, and Hoshanah Rabah. The second is the daily night vigil that relates to the exile and redemption of the Shekhinah called tikkun hazot.” (Faierstein, p. 204)

4. Who was Jacob Frank, and how did he continue Shabbetai Zevi’s type of messianism?
Shabbetai Zevi was born in 1626, into a wealthy merchant family. Living in Smyrna, he became an ordained rabbi by the age of eighteen. Zevi dealt with internal conflict and suffered from depression. When he had breakdowns he committed acts against Jewish law, and eventually recognized himself as the Messiah. Around 1654 he was banished from Smyrna and spent the next ten years wandering the Ottoman Empire. He went to Nathan of Gaza for a cure to his soul, but Nathan ended up telling Zevi that he was the Messiah. Nathan publicly announced his belief, but many important Rabbis spoke out against him. In 1665, he openly broke Jewish law by offering lamb with fat to his followers. In 1666, Nathan and Zevi traveled to Constantinople to confront the Sultan. Zevi was arrested and imprisoned upon arrival. In September of that year Zevi was offered death or conversion to Islam. He chose conversion, but still had devoted followers.