Judah Leib (Leibele) (Löbele) Prossnitz (c. 1670 – c. 1730/1750) was a kabbalist born about the end of the seventeenth century at

Uherský Brod Uherský Brod (; german: Ungarisch Brod) is a town in Uherské Hradiště District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 16,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban monument ...

Moravia Moravia ( , also , ; cs, Morava ; german: link=yes, Mähren ; pl, Morawy ; szl, Morawa; la, Moravia) is a historical region in the east of the Czech Republic and one of three historical Czech lands, with Bohemia and Czech Silesia. The m ...

. He left his native city and went to

Prostějov Prostějov (; german: Proßnitz) is a city in the Olomouc Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 43,000 inhabitants. The city is known for its fashion industry. The historical city centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an Cultural ...

(German: ''Prossnitz''),

, where he married, earning a livelihood by peddling in the neighboring villages. On account of his poverty he occupied a deserted hovel, which was reputed to be haunted. One night he promised to summon the

Shekhina Shekhinah, also spelled Shechinah (Hebrew language, Hebrew: שְׁכִינָה ''Šəḵīnā'', Tiberian Hebrew, Tiberian: ''Šăḵīnā'') is the English transliteration of a Hebrew word meaning "dwelling" or "settling" and denotes the Divine ...

to appear at midnight in a large gathering. Prossnitz stretched across his room a perforated curtain, behind which he had secretly lighted a mixture of alcohol and turpentine. He himself, robed in white, stood behind the curtain, and the light brought out in full relief the gilt letters of the

Tetragrammaton The Tetragrammaton (; ), or Tetragram, is the four-letter Hebrew theonym (transliterated as YHWH), the name of God in the Hebrew Bible. The four letters, written and read from right to left (in Hebrew), are ''yodh'', '' he'', '' waw'', and ...

, which he had placed on his breast. The spectators were disposed to believe in a miracle, when someone present, (

Jacob Emden Jacob Emden, also known as Ya'avetz (June 4, 1697 April 19, 1776), was a leading German rabbi and talmudist who championed Orthodox Judaism in the face of the growing influence of the Sabbatean movement. He was acclaimed in all circles for his ...

believes it to be the rabbi), pulled down the curtain and exposed the fraud. Prossnitz was excommunicated by the rabbis of

, among them the "Landrabbiner" David Oppenheim. In spite of all, Prossnitz found many followers among the

Sabbateans The Sabbateans (or Sabbatians) were a variety of Jews, Jewish followers, disciples, and believers in Sabbatai Zevi (1626–1676), a Sephardi Jews, Sephardic Jewish rabbi and Kabbalah, Kabbalist who was List of Jewish messiah claimants, proclai ...

. He proclaimed himself the

Messiah ben Joseph In Jewish eschatology Mashiach ben Yoseph or Messiah ben Joseph ( he, מָשִׁיחַ בֶּן־יוֹסֵף ''Māšīaḥ ben Yōsēf''), also known as Mashiach bar/ben Ephraim (Aram./Heb.: Māšīaḥ bar/ben Efrayīm), is a Jewish messiah from ...

, and signed his name "Joseph ben Jacob." He had relations with the Sabbatean Mordecai Eisenstadt and with

Jonathan Eybeschütz Rav Yonatan Eybeschütz (רבי יהונתן אייבשיץ) (also Eibeschutz or Eibeschitz; 1690 1764) was a Talmudist, Halachist, Kabbalist, holding positions as Dayan of Prague, and later as Rabbi of the "Three Communities": Altona, Hambur ...

, and seems to have been especially influenced by the Sabbatean Nehemiah Hayyun. Prossnitz wandered from city to city in

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

and

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

, where many persons supplied him with funds. In 1725 the excommunication was renewed, whereupon he moved to

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

. Emden relates that he died there among non-Jews. Prossnitz taught that, since the appearance of

Shabbatai Zevi Sabbatai Zevi (; August 1, 1626 – c. September 17, 1676), also spelled Shabbetai Ẓevi, Shabbeṯāy Ṣeḇī, Shabsai Tzvi, Sabbatai Zvi, and ''Sabetay Sevi'' in Turkish language, Turkish, was a Jewish Jewish mysticism, mystic and ordained r ...

, God had entrusted the guidance of the world to him, after whose ascent to heaven the mission passed to

and, finally, to Prossnitz himself.

Jewish Encyclopedia bibliography

*Grätz, Gesch. x. 349, 364 et seq., 387; *Jacob Emden, Torat ha-kena'ot, pp. 71, 72, Lemberg, 1870; *Kohn (Kahana), Eben ha-To'im, Vienna, 1873; *Moses Hagiz, Lehishat Saraf (reprinted in Emden, Torat ha-kena'ot), pp. 81, 85.

References

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Prossnitz, Judah Leib 1670s births 18th-century deaths Year of birth uncertain Year of death uncertain People from Brody Jewish messiah claimants Sabbateans Kabbalists 17th-century Jews 18th-century Jews