Unveiling the Truth: The Clever Haggadah of Tisha B'Av

Rabbi Isaac ben Moses Halevi was a disciple of Rabbi Hasdai Crescas. Born in Barcelona in 1350, he faced the "Events of 1391" at age 30, when Christians forced many Jews to convert. Legally unable to return to Judaism, Rabbi Isaac was known as "Profiat Duran," meaning "the good faith," and lived outwardly as a Christian.

Rabbi Isaac remained a devoted Jew, continuing his work as a physician and author. He wrote a grammar book on biblical language, "Ma'aseh Efod," used by many great scholars, including the Gaon of Vilna.

He cleverly penned a fierce polemic against Christianity, "Do Not Be Like Your Fathers," ostensibly addressing a Jewish friend and persuading conversion. However, the astute reader sees the pro-Christian arguments as absurd, with the friend's counterarguments dismantling them completely. Officially supporting Christianity, the book gave Christians no grounds to retaliate. One argument humorously stated, "The more something defies reason, the truer it is. Thus, we should believe in the messianism of our Lord, which is against reason..." He also offered hope to forced converts, stating those who secretly kept mitzvot would earn eternal life, encouraging hidden faith and observance.

Rabbi Isaac also wrote commentaries in Hebrew on various Jewish texts, though they remained in manuscript form due to the times, with some published later.

A later Italian Jew, Yonah Raffa, used a similar method. To highlight Christianity's baseness, he wrote "Time, Times, and Their Seasons," supposedly exalting Christianity's grandeur. Structured like the Passover Haggadah and part of the High Priest's Yom Kippur service, it detailed Christian celebrations' vulgarity and filth, using Talmudic language and metaphors of religious service and Haggadah. Christians, believing it honored them, spread the work, while Jews laughed heartily...

In the same vein, two Italian Jews named Jacob and Emmanuel Francis fought against the false messiah Shabtai Tzvi, whose belief spread in many Jewish communities. They created a Tisha B'Av Haggadah that outwardly praised Shabtai Tzvi, who allegedly abolished the Tisha B'Av fast. The Haggadah, filled with hymns to his courage and greatness, periodically reveals mockery, illustrating its true purpose. For example:

"The host and guests sing together:

If he claimed to be a false messiah and hadn't abolished the fast of the fourth month– Dayenu

If he ate and fed forbidden foods but didn't desecrate Shabbat – Dayenu

If he profaned Shabbat but didn't pronounce the name with its letters – Dayenu..."

Imagine his naive followers gathering for a Tisha B'Av "Seder" to recite poems during their "Tisha B'Av meal" established by their leader, only to be met with unexpected ridicule amidst the lines, leaving them bewildered... asking themselves, is this truly the messiah?

This is the mockery of idolatry the sages spoke of, with the power to sometimes uproot falsehood.