Tzitzas Novel Tzvi
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R
Yaakov Sasportas
Yaakov Sasportas
1610 CE–1698 CE · Acharonim · Oran
Rabbi Yaakov Sasportas (1610–1698) was a Sephardic rabbi and kabbalist born in Oran, then under Spanish rule in North Africa. Recognized early for his learning, he joined the rabbinical court of Tlemcen as a young man and later held rabbinic posts in Moroccan communities including Marrakesh, Fes, and Salé. He then moved among the Western Sephardic congregations of Europe, leading the Portuguese community of London and living for a time in Hamburg, before eventually settling in Amsterdam, where he headed the Ets Haim yeshiva and, in his final years, led the Portuguese community. He is remembered chiefly for the letters he exchanged with rabbis across Europe, Asia, and North Africa questioning the messianic claims made for Sabbatai Zevi; that correspondence was gathered in Tzitzat Novel Tzvi. A collection of his responsa, Ohel Yaakov, appeared in Amsterdam in 1737, after his death.
About the Controversy
Rabbi Jacob Sasportas was the pioneering opponent of the Sabbatian movement — he denounced Sabbatai Tzvi while the false messiah was still alive, in letters later collected as Tzitzat Novel Tzvi. A Moroccan-born sage who served communities in North Africa, London, Hamburg, and Amsterdam, he became the model for the later heresy-hunters like Moshe Hagiz and the Hakham Tzvi.
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Works(2)
Shu"t Ohel Yaakov
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