Letter about Martin Luther

Behold, at this time, faithful Jews from the lands of Ashkenaz and Bohemia came to Jerusalem from nearby—with letters from both of these lands—as they came to attest and tell of their interest in a man who was established in those lands, whose name was Martin Luther. He is the man renowned in all of those lands; from the year 1524, he began to dispute the religion of the noncircumcised, and to show them that the inheritance of their fathers was a lie, vanity and matters without profit (Jeremiah 16:19). It is understood from their words [i.e., these texts] that in the previous year, which was 1524, he revealed matters from within and publicly showed the forgery of their belief, and the falsity of their ritual. He showed himself to be against the crucified one, and he became strong in his resolve against all those who believe in the latter. He rose to the heights, and the arm of the Lord saved him from all of those who rose up against him, and all of those who disagreed with him. He was successful in his ventures, and a multitude of peoples gathered to him in strength. They destroyed and burned the statues of their gods, and their idols were cut off in every place of his reign. A great many people joined with him, and their hearts were drawn after his wisdom and after the sweetness of his words; and little by little, he brought them closer to the religion of Moses. I have no doubt that the hand of the Lord did this so that the Jews who were in those same lands would be redeemed. The conversos appointed a leader, and the Jews had light and gladness, and joy and honor (Esther 8:16), for all of the nations in all of those lands were redeemed when the hand of that upright man was extended. They helped the Jews [see Esther 9:3], instead of the former situation in those lands, when for every Jew who would pass through there, there was one law for him, that he would be put to death (Esther 4:11). So too, in a land through which a Jew would pass, they would extract a pound of his flesh. Now, they draw them to their customs with gladness and friendliness, and their houses are filled with light.

Behold, these are wonderful things, and hour by hour, they are gaining in strength and coming to fruition. And the number of gentiles who incline toward the words of that man is growing, while all of those who worship the crucified one are growing smaller in number, and their priests are detested and are an abomination in the eyes of all who see them. For they say, “Are these not the people who rendered our souls, and the souls of our ancestors, detested and lost, from the day that God’s curse of the crucified one spread throughout the world?” It is enough in this regard to uphold that which I have said. In the words of that which I have mentioned in regard to our father Jacob: “After the sixtieth year of passing over the door, the God of heaven will visit the daughter of Jacob” [Zohar I:119a]. This is also related to that which Naḥman the Seer said in his third prophecy, toward the end of the seventh: “Curse will give birth to redemption as the feeble inheritance” [see Nevu’at ha-yeled] as we have interpreted there. The same applies to every place in which redemption during the sixtieth year is mentioned.

Who knows the thought of the Lord, which prior to this was within Him, may He be blessed and exalted? He turned the hearts of many peoples in the lands of the uncircumcised to learn the holy language and the books of the people of Israel; they read through them and study them according to their capabilities. This is [Hebrew unclear], that they grow stronger in their mistakes and in their false and fictitious faith, and there is no doubt that many of them and of their masses will return to God, as the prophets of truth and justice have attested and said. This is as Zephaniah the prophet has said, as we have already mentioned, as well as Jeremiah the prophet, who said: O Lord, my strength, and my stronghold, and my refuge, etc. (Jeremiah 16:19). He, may He be blessed, His right hand is outstretched to receive them before the coming of the Messiah, for after he comes, they cannot be received, as the sages have said [b. Yevamot 24b]. Behold, by means of the above-mentioned man, many dignified people have begun to follow in the proper direction. I did not know if the Lord, may He be blessed, would agree to perform this great sign through them, to straighten them out until they are on the right path. It is forbidden to transmit in writing things that are meant to be said by word of mouth. Eventually, God willing, time will tell what the end of days will bring.

Other work by Halevi: Mashreh kitrin (1510).