Mordecai Mokiach (Eisenstadt, also Mordechai Ben Hayyim of Eisenstadt) (c. 1650 in Alsace – May 18, 1729 in

Pressburg Bratislava (, also ; ; german: Preßburg/Pressburg ; hu, Pozsony) is the capital and largest city of Slovakia. Officially, the population of the city is about 475,000; however, it is estimated to be more than 660,000 — approximately 140% of ...

) was a Jewish Sabbatean prophet and Messiah claimant. The death of Sabbatai Zevi (1676) seems to have encouraged his followers, who claimed that he had returned to his heavenly abode and would come back in three years to finish his "Messianic" task. This doctrine was preached by Mordecai, who, through his

ascetic Asceticism (; from the el, ἄσκησις, áskesis, exercise', 'training) is a lifestyle characterized by abstinence from sensual pleasures, often for the purpose of pursuing spiritual goals. Ascetics may withdraw from the world for their p ...

life, his eloquence, and his commanding appearance, won many followers. Italian kabbalists, among them

Behr Perlhefter Behr Shmuel Issachar Leyb ben Judah Moses Eybeschuetz Perlhefter (c. 1650 in Prague – after 1713 in Prague) was a Jewish scholar and rabbi. His educated wife Bella bat R. Jakob Perlhefter (Isabell, Bella, Bilah, died 1710 in Prague), corresponde ...

, the first Maggid in the study hall of Abraham Rovigo, and Benjamin ben Eliezer ha-Kohen,

rabbi A rabbi () is a spiritual leader or religious teacher in Judaism. One becomes a rabbi by being ordained by another rabbi – known as '' semikha'' – following a course of study of Jewish history and texts such as the Talmud. The basic form o ...

of Reggio, called him to Italy about 1678, where he was very popular for a time. Something, perhaps fear of the Inquisition, forced him to leave Italy, where he had begun to announce himself as the Messiah. He traveled as a preacher through Austria, Germany, and Poland, and finally returned to Hungary, where he seems to have lived a quiet life, as nothing further is known of him. His son,

Judah Löb Mokiach Judah or Yehuda is the name of a biblical patriarch, Judah (son of Jacob). It may also refer to: Historical ethnic, political and geographic terms * Tribe of Judah, one of the twelve Tribes of Israel; their allotment corresponds to Judah or Jud ...

, an eminent Talmudist, died in Pressburg on December 7, 1742; the latter's sons were

David Berlin (Mokiach) David Zafrir Berlin (born May 14, 1951) is a Canadian editor, writer, politician, educator best known for being the co-founder and first editor of '' The Walrus'' from 2003 to 2004 and former editor and owner of the '' Literary Review of Canada'' ...

and

Isaiah Berlin (Mokiach) Sir Isaiah Berlin (24 May/6 June 1909 – 5 November 1997) was a Russian-British social and political theorist, philosopher, and historian of ideas. Although he became increasingly averse to writing for publication, his improvised lectures and ...

, known also as ''Isaiah Pick''.

References

* (German) * Avraham Elqayam, Elqayam, Avraham: The Rebirth of the Messiah: New Discovery of R. Issachar Baer Perlhefter", Kabbalah: Journal for the Study of Jewish Mystical Text, 1 (1996), pp. 85-166 (Hebrew). * Michael Heyd, "The ‘Jewish Quaker’: Christian Perceptions of Shabbatai Zevi as an Enthusiast," in Allison Coudert and Jeffrey Shoulson (eds.), ''Hebraica Veritas? Christian Hebraists, Jews, and the Study of Judaism in Early Modern Europe'', Philadelphia, University of Pennsylvania Press, 2004, pp. 234-265; p. 244, and p. 261, n. 54. ; Bibliography of Jewish Encyclopedia: * Heinrich Grätz, ''Gesch.'' 3d ed., x. 303-304, 456-459
Jewish Encyclopedia article on Mordecai Mokiach
(by Gotthard Deutsch) {{DEFAULTSORT:Mokiach, Mordecai 1650s births 1729 deaths 17th-century French people 18th-century French people 17th-century German people 18th-century German people 17th-century Hungarian people 18th-century Hungarian people 17th-century Jews 18th-century Jews Sabbateans Alsatian Jews People from Eisenstadt German expatriates in Italy German expatriates in Austria German expatriates in Poland Hungarian people of French descent Hungarian people of German descent Jewish messiah claimants Prophets in Judaism