Tikun keriyah le-kol laylah ve-yom (Supplications for Every Day and Night)
The frontispiece of this book of penitential prayers, printed in Amsterdam by David de Castro Tartas, proclaims the pro-Sabbatean beliefs that were then widespread in the Amsterdam Jewish community and in many other Jewish communities worldwide. The engraving depicts Shabbetai Tzvi seated on a throne as the Messiah, under a crown with the words: “The crown of Tzvi.” Disciples and lions stand on both sides of the chair. The Hebrew inscription below is the messianic verse: “In those days and at that time, I will cause to grow up to David a branch of righteousness; he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the earth” (Jeremiah 33:15). The scene below shows a group of sages sitting around a table, watched by a gigantic crowd. The Hebrew there reads: “You shall meditate in [this book] day and night” (Joshua 1:8). The collection of prayers was compiled by Nathan of Gaza (though his name is not mentioned on the title pages of the Hebrew editions). In 1665, he sent the collection to Europe, where it was widely disseminated.
Credits
Courtesy Allard Pierson — the Collections of the University of Amsterdam, ROK A 1682.
Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 5.
You may also like
Portrait of Shabbetai Tzvi
Shabbetai Tzvi was the central figure of a messianic movement that swept the Jewish world in the mid-seventeenth century. Born in Izmir (Smyrna), as an adolescent Shabbetai Tzvi embarked on the study…
Letter about the Coming of the Messiah
I received your letter, and since you believed that I sent to you concerning matters of our Messiah of Truth, I shall fulfill the wishes of your heart and your feelings of deficiency, and I shall tell…
Derush boker de-Avraham (Sermon: Morning of Abraham)
I propose to set forth the faith of our ancestors—our prophets, our sages—forgotten by us these thousand years, because of the long duration of our exile. This faith was known to the Tannaim and most…
Letter about the Validity of the Messiah
After greeting, I accepted the letters, but we do not have the time to copy the expositions, as you wanted. Due to the fact that the late, wise, and pious Judah Ashkenazi, when he came to Jerusalem…
Chronicle of Events in Adrianople
[Sabbatai’s] illumination grew steadily more intense up to the thirteenth day of the month of Adar [23 February]. On that day his brother came for a stay, along with four of Vani Effendi’s men.…
Report on Shabbetai Tzvi’s Meeting with the Sultan
This historical report from 1671 is a detailed account of the meeting between the messianic figure Shabbetai Tzvi and the Ottoman Sultan in Constantinople.
Engage with this Source
Related Guide
Early Modern Rabbis and Intellectuals on the Move
1500–1750
Carrying books and knowledge, itinerant rabbis and scholars traveled between communities, facilitating cultural exchange.
Related Guide
Early Modern Spiritual Ideologies
1500–1750
Early modern Jewish spiritual life encompassed diverse elements, including theology, ethics, liturgy, and messianism.
You may also like
Portrait of Shabbetai Tzvi
Shabbetai Tzvi was the central figure of a messianic movement that swept the Jewish world in the mid-seventeenth century. Born in Izmir (Smyrna), as an adolescent Shabbetai Tzvi embarked on the study…
Letter about the Coming of the Messiah
I received your letter, and since you believed that I sent to you concerning matters of our Messiah of Truth, I shall fulfill the wishes of your heart and your feelings of deficiency, and I shall tell…
Derush boker de-Avraham (Sermon: Morning of Abraham)
I propose to set forth the faith of our ancestors—our prophets, our sages—forgotten by us these thousand years, because of the long duration of our exile. This faith was known to the Tannaim and most…
Letter about the Validity of the Messiah
After greeting, I accepted the letters, but we do not have the time to copy the expositions, as you wanted. Due to the fact that the late, wise, and pious Judah Ashkenazi, when he came to Jerusalem…
Chronicle of Events in Adrianople
[Sabbatai’s] illumination grew steadily more intense up to the thirteenth day of the month of Adar [23 February]. On that day his brother came for a stay, along with four of Vani Effendi’s men.…
Report on Shabbetai Tzvi’s Meeting with the Sultan
This historical report from 1671 is a detailed account of the meeting between the messianic figure Shabbetai Tzvi and the Ottoman Sultan in Constantinople.