(La Certeza del Camino)

PEREYRA, ABRAHAM ISRAEL.

David de Castro Tartas

(Amsterdam

1666)

FIRST EDITION.

Kayserling 87

Pereyra was an enormously wealthy and influential leader of the Portuguese Community in Amsterdam and one of the leading followers of Shabbetai Tzvi there. As patron of the Chessed Le’avraham Yeshivah in Hebron, he received firsthand information from enthusiastic “believers” concerning the Messianic Movement and was invited by the students to join them “at this hour of grace.” Placing all his power and prestige to service, he journeyed in early Spring,1666 to the Holy Land to await the Messiah’s triumphant manifestation. Before departing Amsterdam he published this devotional work “The Certainty of the Way” directed to repentant sinners and intended to encourage the Shabbatean revival. Following the Movement’s disintegration, this clearly devout man, eventually returned to Amsterdam more than a year later to face huge losses resulting from his hasty departure. See G. Scholem, Sabbatai Sevi (1973) pp.529-30; JNUL Catalogue, The Portuguese Community of Amsterdam in the 17th Century (1975) no.153