Motherhood in Mystical Ritual and a Messianic Community: Sarah in Late Sabbatianism Between Judaism and Islam

Theoretical Framework and Research Question

Within the ritual world of the remnants of the Sabbatian movement, the figure of Sarah holds multiple, layered meanings: she is the mother of the messiah, yet also his spouse, and, in some instances, even regarded as the messiah himself. Her presence in nineteenth-century Sabbatian ritual songs highlights the dynamic interplay between mystical abstraction and lived reality. Sarah is both a cosmic force of redemption and a figure intertwined with the everyday experiences of women in the Sabbatian community. Yet, the extent to which this theological elevation of motherhood translated into real change for Sabbatian women remains unclear.

This paper examines the construction of Sarah as a maternal and sacred figure in nineteenth-century Sabbatian ritual and asks: How does this reflect the Sabbatian understanding of motherhood? What does it reveal about the tension between theological innovation and social norms, and how does it relate to the lived experiences of women in this secretive religious community?

To address these questions, this study engages with theoretical approaches to gender in mystical thought, the history of emotions, and interfaith exchange. It considers how mystical traditions reshape gendered symbolism and whether theological elevation translates into social change.

Methodology

This study employs a close historical textual analysis of Sabbatian communal manuscripts, particularly ritual songs written in Judeo-Spanish, Hebrew, and Ottoman Turkish, examining their linguistic, musical, and theological elements. These texts are analyzed alongside depictions by external observers and Muslim musical traditions to explore inter-religious interactions. The analysis draws on methodologies from gender studies, religious studies, and the history of emotions, particularly the role of music and ritual in shaping collective experience.

Mystical Motherhood and Theological Innovation

Emerging in the mid-17th century, Sabbatianism was one of the most influential messianic movements in Jewish history. Following the conversion of its messiah, Sabbatai Tsvi (1626–1676), to Islam, his devotees, the Ma’aminim (“Believers”), adopted an outward Muslim identity while maintaining a clandestine religious system that redefined Jewish theological concepts and praxis. Within this framework, the image of Sarah offers insight into the relationship between mystical innovation, gendered symbolism, and communal reality.

Sabbatian doctrine was revolutionary in its approach to divine embodiment, gender, and sexuality. Women were integrated into mystical structures and messianic narratives—both as theological symbols and as active participants. A striking example is Sarah the Ashkenazi, one of Sabbatai Tsvi’s wives and the mother of his son Ishmael, who became an iconic figure. Sabbatians venerated her as a mystical partner of the messiah, while anti-Sabbatian critics saw her as a symbol of the movement’s transgressive nature.

Sarah in Sabbatian Ritual: Mystical and Human Motherhood

Sabbatian mystical writings reference the Four Matriarchs (Sarah, Rebecca, Rachel, and Leah) of Jewish tradition while reinterpreting their meaning within the communal framework. In nineteenth-century Sabbatian ritual songs, these figures were designated as Madres del Mundo (“Mothers of the World”) and perceived as active agents in the redemptive process. Among them, Sarah holds a unique position, associated with both divine and earthly processes of birth and death, merging biblical archetypes with the lived experiences of female community members.

This dual representation reflects two intertwined notions of motherhood within Sabbatian faith. First, she embodies mystical-messianic motherhood: as a “pious” and “marvelous” mother, she is tied to the supreme “secret of faith,” linked to the kabbalistic feminine emanations of Binah and Malkhut—celestial forces involved in divine reproduction and redemption. Second, she is linked to real women in the community: ritual texts commemorate deceased women named Sarah, whose souls ascend to Ima (Mother), the divine maternal entity, where they unite with the celestial messiah, Sabbatai Tsvi. This merging of mystical and human motherhood highlights the disparity between theological elevation and lived experience.

The Absence of the Akedah: Rethinking Maternal Emotion in a Sabbatian Framework

Unlike traditional Jewish narratives, where Sarah is associated with sorrow and anxiety, particularly in relation to the Binding of Isaac (Akedah), Sabbatian ritual songs emphasize Sarah’s joy as a redeeming force. The absence of maternal sorrow regarding her son and the omission of the Akedah suggest a theological reorientation: in the Sabbatian worldview, messianic motherhood is defined not by sacrifice but by divine celebration.

At the same time, these songs do not exclude expressions of grief. While Sarah is primarily associated with joy, Sabbatian ritual songs also commemorate the deaths of community members, integrating worldly sorrow into the collective devotional experience. Rather than opposing messianic joy, these expressions of grief are absorbed into it, shaped through the performative power of music and ritual. The use of Ottoman musical modes reinforced this emotional dynamic, allowing a fusion of divine joy with the earthly sadness of loss, framing grief not as an individual burden but as part of a communal, redemptive vision.

This emotional reframing appears to have been shaped by inter-religious interactions, particularly the Islamic interpretation of the Akedah. In the Qur’an (Sura 37), the narrative differs significantly from its Jewish counterpart: the mother is entirely absent, and both Abraham and his son accept the divine decree without resistance. As the Sabbatian Ma’aminim lived as outwardly Ottoman Muslim subjects, their theological perspective may have been shaped by this alternative model—one that emphasizes submission over sorrow. Within this context, the Sabbatian reconfiguration of Sarah’s role reflects not only mystical reinterpretation but also the resonance of surrounding religious paradigms.

Preliminary Results and Relevance to Motherhood and Religions Unit

While Sabbatian theology constructed a revolutionary perception of motherhood—one that positioned female figures at the core of the redemptive process—this paper questions whether this conceptual transformation led to significant shifts in the actual status and lives of Sabbatian mothers, and women more generally, in the nineteenth century. The gap between theological innovation and social practice raises critical questions: What does the mothering of the messiah—and the messianic act of mothering—mean in the context of communal Sabbatian reality? And how do mystical and theological ideas relate to real women?

Through a close reading of communal and external sources, this paper examines how the maternal figure of Sarah negotiates between cosmic and earthly dimensions, between symbolic motherhood and embodied reality. By engaging with the intersection of maternal identity, mystical thought, emotion, and interfaith exchange, this study highlights how theological elevation did not necessarily translate into social change. More broadly, the analysis of this case study illuminates how mystical traditions reconfigure gendered symbolism and how theological innovation interacts with social structures.