shabetai tzvi | Imamother

farmom

Mon, Apr 30 2007, 11:05 pm

I taught shabbesai Tzvi to high school students . . my brain is failing me now . . . Confused

However, I seem to remember that in addition to the story, we did lots of discussions. We read Gluckel of Hamlin talking about people getting ready for Moshiach then, (they had bags packed, etc) Read about the Donme, who still believe in him today, and talked lots about where he went wrong, and were the Jes right or wrong to believe in him. Also, lots of really interesting essays that I thought up and have totally forgotten(all my notes are packed away in boxes since my move).

I don't know if I did then, but I have an idea now to learn what the Rambam says is the criteria for Moshiach, how he did or didn't fit it, when he really went off (told ppl to do aveiros, converted, etc). another idea to to have the students to the halacha research, and debate it as if they are living at the time: Is he Moshiach, or not? There were Rabbanim to back up each side, so. . . You can also go on from there, and talk about the repercussions this had on the worldwide Jewish community - communal depression, skepticism in kabbala and anything esoteric, and again, understand and relate to today.

Enjoy! Smile

Writing this, I miss this stuff an awful lot Confused

Seraph

Fri, May 04 2007, 3:08 am

In camp, when we were learning about this, they made the activities of the day revolve around different shabtai tzvi things.

We were introduced to mr Shabtai tzvi, and he had all these funky powers- like being able to make a counselor fly over 6 garbage cans lined up in a row, etc...
We heard wedding music one day and follow the sound to see a chuppa ceremony with shabtai tzvi marrying his beloved sefer torah.
And then they tell us to pack our bags, bec shabtai tzvi is moshiach and he's taking us to E'Y on an overnight. So we pack our bags, and on the way to walking to the overnight, some "arabs" jump out and attack us, and tell shabtai tzvi that they'll kill all of us. So shabtai tzvi tells them, "No, no, no, I'm really mohammed, I've come to redeem you" and left with the arabs...
And we had to go back to camp without the overnight... So disappointed, but we were told, so were the jews who went with shabtai tzvi to E'y thinking he was moshiach...