The Astonishing Deception of Nehemiah Hayun: How He Fooled Europe's Rabbis

In the year 1710, Rabbi Yosef Irgas, the rabbi of Livorno in Tuscany, Italy, experienced a brief moment of satisfaction. However, that moment was very short-lived. That morning, his students informed him that a learned Jewish scholar, carrying no goods but crates of books, had disembarked from a ship at the port. This man arrived at the rabbi's doorstep to present his new book: an advanced text on Kabbalah. Rabbi Yosef Irgas, a renowned Kabbalist and head of a Yeshiva, was famous for his own Kabbalistic work "Shomer Emunim" (known as the "Older Shomer Emunim" as there is a later work with the same title).

Rabbi Yosef welcomed the guest warmly. It wasn't every day that he encountered a learned scholar, especially one presenting himself as a "Kabbalist from the Land of Israel" and supported by apparent letters of endorsement. He sat attentively, taking hold of the guest's book. At first glance, the book seemed very impressive. Rabbi Yosef expressed admiration, pondering the greatness of the sages from the Land of Israel. But within minutes, his sharp eyes noticed familiar yet dangerous sections within the book. Suddenly, he realized that amidst the complex musings were hidden pieces supporting the false messiah Shabtai Tzvi. He recognized the source: they were excerpts from the "Raza DeMehemanuta" by the Sabbatean Abraham Cardozo.

Followers of Shabtai Tzvi believed him to be the messiah, and even after his conversion to Islam, they explained it through various mystical justifications. Their teachings were evident as they masked serious prohibitions and offenses under the guise of Kabbalistic discourse, much like Shabtai Tzvi himself.

Rabbi Yosef wasted no time. He immediately gathered all the rabbis of Livorno, excommunicated the guest, known as Nehemiah Hayun, and expelled him from the city. That very same day, the deceitful Hayun had to board a ship and return from where he came.

Such was Nehemiah Hayun. A venomous and cunning snake, constantly trying to deceive anyone he could. Interestingly, his name even resembles the Aramaic word for snake, "chivya." It's no wonder Rabbi Yosef Irgas, who recognized the danger this deceitful "righteous man" posed, wrote a book titled "Tzad Nachash," detailing Hayun's devilish maneuvers. Hayun landed in Amsterdam, where he printed a pamphlet against Rabbi Yosef, but Rabbi Yosef was not intimidated and authored another book against Hayun.

Hayun, meanwhile, continued his journey, traveling among various Jewish communities. In those times, communication was lacking, and there were no newspapers. He could keep visiting more cities, present himself as a scholar from the Land of Israel, impress the local rabbis, and even provide them with counterfeit letters of endorsement. His luck favored him in Prague, where nobody knew him, and even the local rabbis, unlike Rabbi Yosef Irgas, lacked expertise in Kabbalah. He presented them with his book "Oz L'Hashem," cleverly omitting overt Sabbatean excerpts. Rabbi David Oppenheim and Rabbi Naftali Katz endorsed his books, believing him to be the "Kabbalist from the Land of Israel" enthusiastically, after which he immediately left the city and used these endorsements for other books that he never showed the rabbis...

Rabbi David Oppenheim and Rabbi Naftali Katz demanded he return the endorsements and nullify them, but he mocked them, journeyed to the Berlin community, presented the fraudulently obtained endorsements, and received new support... Thus, Hayun became a master in obtaining endorsements and support by deceit, many of which were entirely forged. Rabbis Oppenheim and Katz published a special book titled "War for Hashem and Sword for Hashem" to publicize their stance.

Nehemiah Hayun continued his travels, raising donations from gullible individuals he impressed. Yet, upon arriving in Amsterdam, the community was already prepared for him. Rabbi Avraham Yitzchaki from Jerusalem sent a letter to the Amsterdam rabbis, warning them about the "jewel" from the Land of Israel who would likely reach them sooner or later. When Hayun arrived in Amsterdam, the Ashkenazi community's rabbi, the notable Rabbi Tzvi Ashkenazi, "the Chacham Tzvi," was ready to face him. At that time, Rabbi Moshe Hagiz from the Land of Israel, well aware of the matter, was also with Chacham Tzvi. Chacham Tzvi even personally knew Hayun, as years before, both of them lived in Sarajevo, Bosnia.

Initially, the cunning snake tried to trick the rabbis. He met with Chacham Tzvi, and when the latter mentioned their acquaintance from Sarajevo, Hayun replied, "What do you mean? I was never in Sarajevo. There must be another Nehemiah Hayun." He concealed his problematic book and only showed a seemingly innocent one. Rabbi Moshe Hagiz had to leave the city for a few days, and for a brief moment, it seemed fortune favored the swindler. However, within days, Chacham Tzvi thoroughly investigated the matter and excommunicated Hayun for his Sabbatean and heretical views. The Sephardi rabbis in Amsterdam disagreed with this ruling, arguing it didn't bind the Sephardi communities. Unwilling to accept this, Chacham Tzvi left Amsterdam, leaving Hayun with some influence in the city, though not for long.

Many rabbis across Europe spoke against him in publications that revealed his true nature to the public. Despite this, his followers claimed he was unjustly persecuted, insisting he had not been judged fairly. Hayun reached the capital, Constantinople, and filed a complaint about the excommunication carried out without sufficient investigation. Surprisingly, the authorities were convinced the "Jewish sage" was unfairly persecuted and forced the Jews to nullify the excommunication. Nevertheless, his true nature was already widely recognized, even without the formal excommunication. He was expelled from every city he entered, wandering under assumed identities. In 1730, he died during his travels in Africa. His son converted to Christianity, effectively erasing the memory of this particularly dangerous, delusional deceiver.