Bnei Adam

Shabbos with Shabtai is a psychological historical novel written in the first person from the perspective of the 17th-century Jewish messianic figure Shabtai Tzvi. Each chapter follows the rhythm of Friday night and Shabbat, tracing his rise from a quiet, mystical singer in Smyrna to the center of a worldwide messianic movement. As the story unfolds, readers witness the inner life of a deeply manic-depressive man caught between his own fragile psyche and the enormous hopes projected onto him by those around him. The Shabbat structure mirrors his emotional cycles—ecstasy, certainty, exhaustion, and dread—as his reputation grows and the role of Messiah begins to consume him.

After his forced conversion to Islam, the narrative breaks apart. The steady Shabbat rhythm disappears, replaced by scattered fragments of ordinary days over the following years, portraying a man living in the aftermath of prophecy, identity, and collapse.

The author, Shaina Laber, presents the novel with an unusual framing: she claims to have written it as if recounting memories from a past life, imagining what it might feel like to inhabit the mind of Shabtai himself. The result is a haunting exploration of belief, charisma, collective longing, and the psychological cost of being made into a savior.