Unlike the Christian concept of Messiah as a divine savior who comes to save the world from its sins, the Jewish Moshiach is an observant Jew and a charismatic leader, who inspires others to follow his example. A great military leader, he wins battles for Israel; a great judge, he makes righteous decisions. He will establish a government in Israel that will be the center of all world government, both for Jews and gentiles. He will rebuild the Temple and re-establish its worship; he will restore the religious court system of Israel and establish Jewish law as the law of the land. In 1663 many Jews believed the Moshiach had come… in the person of a bookish mystic named Shabbatai Tzvi.

Shabbatai Tzvi was born in Smyrna in 1626. By most accounts he was a superior scholar, known for his extensive knowledge of Jewish philosophy and mysticism. He was also known for his instability: many modern historians believe he suffered from bipolar disorder. During his manic phases, he would proclaim himself the Messiah; during his depressive episodes, he would express shame and regret for his "strange acts." Excommunicated and expelled from Smyrna, Tzvi moved to Salonika where he engaged in bizarre behavior like marrying a Torah scroll. While the authorities and orthodox Jews looked upon his behavior with horror, he attracted a small but growing number of disciples who were impressed with his learning and his personal charisma.

In 1663 Tzvi moved to Jerusalem, where his reputation grew; the following year he travelled to Egypt and met with another aspiring prophet, Nathan of Gaza. Nathan had acquired a reputation as a healer and spiritual leader, and Tzvi came to him seeking a cure for his spells. Instead, Nathan informed him that he was not ill at all - that he was in fact the anointed one, come to rescue Israel. Before this Tzvi had regularly declared himself the Messiah during his manic phases, only to retract the claim and seek forgiveness when the inevitable depression set in. Now that his suspicions were confirmed, he accepted his role in earnest - and the Sabatean movement was in full swing.

Letters declaring that the messiah had arrived were sent out from Egypt and Jerusalem to the Jewish communities of North Africa and Europe. Religious fervor swept through the ghettos of Europe, and books were written for the masses on how to carry out these acts of repentance. One Polish priest wrote that the Jews "at that time fasted several days a week on account of their messiah, and some of them all week long . . . . They immersed under the ice in winter, and there they uttered a prayer that had only recently been composed." People made arrangements for their expected return to the Land of Israel, and many came to Jerusalem to sit at the feet of the master.

Flushed with his success, in 1666 Tzvi decided to travel to Constantinople, to demand that the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire give up his throne and recognize Tzvi as the rightful emperor of the world. (Failing that, he hoped that the Sultan would return the Jews to their rightful home in Palestine, then under Ottoman control). Alas, Mehmed IV was less than impressed with Ha-Moshiach Tzvi. First he placed him under arrest. When Tzvi continued to hold court and receive ambassadors at his fortress prison in Abydos the Sultan finally agreed to the audience which Tzvi had sought. Unfortunately for Tzvi, the audience did not go so well as he had hoped. Mehmed IV gave Tzvi three options. He could perform a miracle for the Sultan and prove his messianic claims; he could convert to Islam; or he could be executed. Tzvi chose the second option, removing his skullcap and donning the turban of a practicing Moslem.

The crisis of faith which ensued came close to destroying religious Judaism. Many of Tzvi's followers in other countries severed their ties to Judaism and converted to Christianity; others burned his books and blotted his name from their records. Others tried to justify his conversion by stating that the Moshiach had to descend into the most evil parts of the world and redeem all… meaning the Moslems and Christians. A few of Tzvi's followers joined him in converting to Islam, while retaining many Jewish beliefs and practices. Today some 40,000 Donmeh (converts), descendents of these people, can be found in Istanbul and western Turkey. Perhaps the most important development would be the movement away from the intellectual Kabbalism practiced by Tzvi and Nathan of Gaza… and the development of a more emotional, celebratory tradition, Hasidism, which survives to this day.