The Heresy of Jacob Frank: From Jewish Messianism to Esoteric Myth by Jay Michaelson

 

The Heresy of Jacob Frank: From Jewish Messianism to Esoteric Myth by Jay Michaelson is quite a wild ride.  This is even more impressive as this is an academic book, unlike the bulk of Michaelson’s other work.  So there is the paraphernalia of academic productions, footnotes, and references to other scholars you have probably not read.  Usually, this slows down a text.

Despite this, Michaelson's book moves along and shines a lively and fascinating light on the “heresy” of Jacob Frank, which is little known to people or Jews at large.  What he reveals is unexpected.  Frank’s final teaching, written in Polish, is a compendium of bravado, materialist explications of the universe, odd folklore, and, most importantly, a decisive turn from both Judaism and the teaching of Sabbetai Zevi. In the end, what we get is something that is hard to explain but extremely fascinating.  Frank’s writing, according to Michaelson’s read, did not cause many modern trends in Judaism but anticipated them. 

Michaelson appears to be teaching us that (ultimately many) mainstream notions have heretical roots.