Seder Eliyahu zuta (The Minor Order of Elijah)

Chapter 96

The Sultan Selim loved the Jews very much, for he realized that with their help he could strike nations and kill mighty kings. [ . . . ] And it came to pass on the third day, when the Sultan Selim was sitting on his throne [see Esther 1:2; 5:1], he ordered and gave permission to the Jews to open the synagogues that his father Sultan Bayezid had closed. [ . . . ] So it was that when he came to power, he gave the Jews permission to do as they wished. [ . . . ]

Also, many Jews whom the Turks had coerced, harassed, and converted against their will, he restored them back to their faith, for he said that Muhammad did not desire anyone to worship him against his will. For the Turks this matter was an impediment and a rock of offense [see Isaiah 8:14], and all of Turkey spoke ill of him. [ . . . ]

The Great Kadiasker [chief military judge], who is called the teacher of the king—to whom the king accords honor and whose seat he places above all his other ministers—was an enemy of the Jews. This was made known to the king, and he rebuked him and ordered him not to harm them [ . . . ] [but] he continued to do harm to the Jews who were under his authority. Reports of some of his conduct came to the king, and he summoned him to stand before him, and he spoke harshly to him, and ordered his servants to throw him down before him, in order to beat him and to remove his teeth. However, the man wept and pleaded with the king that he would remove this evil of Haman and what he planned for the Jews [see Esther 8:3], to persecute them, and that he would never revert to his wrongdoing. The king said to him, “I have forgiven you, in accordance with your word [see Numbers 14:20]; be careful lest you harm them further, for if so, then on the day I see you, you will die” [see Exodus 10:28].

And now we will tell a short story, in brief, about what the Sultan Selim did to a certain Jew, one of the evildoers, who thought to convert. [ . . . ]

There was a Jewish man in Constantinople, one of the villains and hypocrites. [ . . . ] He was one of the king’s physicians, who sits in the king’s gate. [ . . . ] This evildoer set his heart upon having the king increase his stipend. He went to Piri Pasha, because he was one of his favorites, and he bowed down before his adjutant, and he said to him: Lord Adjutant, know that at night a man came to me with the appearance of an angel of God. [ . . . ] And he said to me, “Jew, rise up! Why are you falling on your face [see Joshua 7:10]? Go, take yourself to this steward, Piri Pasha, who is appointed over the house [see Isaiah 22:15], and say to him to tell the king to convert you, [ . . . ] for you are a courageous man, and everywhere you go you will be successful” [see 1 Samuel 14:47].

Then this man arose at the first light of dawn and went to the house of the king [see Daniel 6:20]. The adjutant approached the king and told him all those great things, [ . . . ] but the king in his wisdom and the breadth of his understanding realized that all of his words were falsehoods, and that he was lying. [ . . . ] And he rebuffed Piri Pasha and said, “Tomorrow this sign shall be” (Exodus 8:19). The king said this in order to remove him from his presence, for the king was ashamed to say that he did not want to permit him to become a Turk. Many days passed, and Piri Pasha expected the king to say, “Bring him before me.” [ . . . ] When Piri Pasha saw that the king was not saying anything to him, he too kept his silence, and no longer brought up this matter before the king.

The evildoer saw that many days had passed, and his advice had not been taken, and he had not been presented to the king. He therefore came before Piri Pasha once again, and said, “Why are you being lazy in this matter, for you will be found to be sinful, as another emissary sent from [Muhammad] has appeared to me and said, ‘Be quick, do not stand still; go before the king to return you to his religion.’” He further said to him many similar things. [ . . . ] So the adjutant believed him. [ . . . ] He ran and came before the king, with his knees knocking, and spoke to him, in accordance with the events described above. [ . . . ] And the king said, “Let him come” [see Esther 6:5]. So he came and stood before the king, and the king said, “What does your soul desire, and I will do it for you. Please tell me all those great things.” He replied, “Let it be known to you, O King, that a man appeared to me and he was tall, with rings full of eyes [see Ezekiel 1:18], and his appearance was like an angel of God, very terrible (Judges 13:6). And he said to me, ‘For how long will you be lazy in returning to the faith of [Muhammad]? You will be found sinful. Hurry up [ . . . ] for I have chosen you, as you are a precious one’” [see Daniel 9:23].

In his wisdom, the king understood that the man was speaking with malice, and that the villain wanted a prize, to be promoted, and that money would persuade him to change his religion. [ . . . ] So the king ordered his servants to change his turban and they made him into a Turk according to law.

Afterward the king said, in an underhand manner, “Such a thing has never occurred, nor has it been seen. It is forbidden for a man such as yourself to be a physician and to deal with matters of this world, for they are vanity and illusion. Rather, go and work upon your soul and become a priest, I mean a dervish. You must walk naked and unclothed, and fall down naked every day and every night, and you shall work upon your soul, evening, morning, and noon. And on whom is all the desire of Ishmael? Is it not on you, and on all your father’s house [see 1 Samuel 9:20]? For an angel spoke to you, and his desire is for you [see Genesis 4:7]. Now, listen to my voice [ . . . ] and cast behind your back all the pleasures of the time.” [ . . . ]

And the king asked, “What stipend do you receive per day?” And he said, “I have thirty pieces of silver a day.” The king declared to the scribe, “For a man like this, two pieces of silver a day are sufficient; why do priests need coins?” [ . . . ]

Thus the evildoer was driven to his house, mourning and crestfallen [see Esther 6:12]. [ . . . ] Such were the deeds and judgments of the Sultan Selim; they were so numerous that I am unable to count them.

Other work by Capsali: Divre ha-yamim le-malkhut Venezia (1517).