Portugal on the morning of 26 January 1531, between 4 and 5 o'clock. The earthquake and subsequent tsunami of the Tagus resulted in approximately 30,000 deaths.
Eventually Rav Shlomo Molcho was given an audience with Pope Clement VII and gained his favor, as well as that of some of the cardinals at Rome. When he warned the Pope to leave Rome as the city would soon be flooded and sent word to the king of Portugal warning of an imminent earthquake and these predictions came true, his reputation among the religious and political authorities grew. He tried to convince Pope Clement VII that the redemption of the Jewish Nation was at hand.
However not everyone looked upon Rav Shlomo Molcho's prophesies, visions and with favor. His messianic fervor was sure to stir up trouble for the Jews and awaken hatred from the Inquisition and so his main opposition came from certain Jews a number of which even attempted to inform on him to the Inquisition itself. His main protector was none other than the Pope and heads of the Church who were impressed by his personality and by the veracity and accuracy they saw in his prophetic predictions.
His main opponent was the court physician Dr Jacob Mantino who made numerous attempts to have Rabbi Shlomo Molcho arrested and brought to trial by the Inquisition for converting back to Judaism after being born a Christian. Eventual arrested by the Inquisition, Rabbi Shlomo Molcho was saved at the intervention of the Pope, who personally hid him and smuggled him out of Rome, burning a different man in his place.
After escaping Rome, Rav Shlomo Molcho returned to Turkey. In 1532 he traveled to Regensburg (Ratisbon), to meet with the emperor Charles V. On this occasion, Rav Molcho carried the flag with the Hebrew word Maccabi, the four letters which also signify an abbreviation for Shemos 15:11 "Who among the mighty is like unto Hashem?" Their meeting lasted some two hours, and while the exact content of the meeting is not recorded, letters from the court at the time indicate Rav Shlomo Molcho proposed the establishment of a joint Jewish-Christian army to fend off the emperor’s foreign enemies and, possibly, to reconquer the Holy Land. His joint attempt with Dovid Reuvani to influence Charles V, King of Spain and Holy Roman Emperor, into creating an army of Morranos to fight the Turks and possibly asking him to convert to Judaism met with failure. He asked to form an army that would wage a war against the Ottoman Empire and free the Land of Israel. But Rav Yoslimon sent them a strong warning about the disastrous consequences that could result from such a meeting, and he himself fled the city to avoid association. Charles V was a dangerous man, not impressed at all he had them both arrested in Regensburg, Germany. He had Rav Shlomo Molcho was sentenced to death for heresy and Dovid Reuvani exiled to Spain, where he died in prison.
Due to his personal feud with Charles V, the Pope was unable to intervene this time and save Rav Shlomo Molcho.
In the winter of 1532 on 5 Teves 5293, HaKadosh Rav Shlomo Molcho was burnt at the stake at age 31 in Mantuba, Italy, after refusing the emperor's pardon on condition that he convert back to Christian, he chose instead to be mekadesh shem shomayim.
His last words were "Regarding this that I lived with this religion (Christianity), my heart is bitter and troubled. Now do as is good in your eyes and let my soul return to her Fathers home like her youth, for it was better for me then then now". He called out the words of Shma Yisroel. Because of his martyrdom, many refer to Rav Shlomo Molcho as Ha'Kadosh 'the holy one.'
His seforim include: Sefer Hamefoar - a collection of derashos from during his travels, mostly in Italy.
In the introduction to Sefer Hamefoar Rabbi Shlomo Molcho includes a small poem composed from verses found in Tehilim 119, with the first letter of each line spelling out his name.
Chayas Kanah - Describes visions seen by the author and the Kabalistic mysteries that were revealed to him through dreams includes autobiographical information about his personal life.
A number of Rav Shlomo Molcho's personal effects are on display at the Jewish Museums of Prague. These include his robe and flags. These were originally given over to Rav Yoslimon when he met with Rav Shlomo Molcho before his meeting with the emperor Charles. Eventually they were stored in the Pinchas Shul. It seems that the Tzitzis and one flag were lost over the years.
Minhagim and Legacy
In Hilchos Tzizis the Magen Avraham cites the minhag of Rav Shlomo Molcho: that the number of times we wind the threads around equals the gematria of the Shem Havaya. This is achieved by winding the shmash ten times around the first set of knots, then five, six and ten.
Rav Shlomo Malcho also had his Tzizis strings dyed green techeleis. In his commentary on the Rosh, the Tosfos Yom Tov cites this minhag mentioning that he himself saw Rav Shlomo Malcho's Tzitzis on display in the Pinchas Shul of Prague where he studied before he was appointed Av Bais Din. The Tzizis were made from silk with a yellowish greenish tint. The strings are dyed green.
A copy of Rav Shlomo Molcho's signature has been preserved, where he lengthens the lamed into the 'Flag of Yisroel' as part of the design.
The Lubavitcher Rebbe z"ya wrote:
Rav Shlomo Molcho was a great Kabbalist who was moser nefesh to debate with the Pope in Rome in his quest to bring the final redemption.
The generation however was unworthy of this and he merited martydom to be burned al kiddush Hashem (that the author of the Bais Yosef davened for all his life to merit). He left behind his sefer as well as a flag that hangs in the Maharal's shul in Prague and this strengthens our faith and emuna in the geulah.
(Rav Menachem Mendel Schneerson Sichah Parshas Tzav Shushan Purim )תשי''ד
