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RABBI ARTHUR SEGAL: JEWISH SPRITUAL RENEWAL: PFEFFERKORN + MAXIMILIAN BOOK BURNING
StephanieYeates@aol.com
Sent: 6/17/2008 12:49:22 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: Jewish Spiritual Renewal: Tuesday, June 17, 2008
''Today in Jewish History Sivan 14, 5768 = June 17, 2008
Jewish Books Spared from Destruction (1510)
in 1509, Emperor Maximilian of Germany ordered that all Jewish books in the cities of Cologne and Frankfort be destroyed. This followed the request of Pfefferkorn, a baptized Jew, who claimed that Jewish literature was insulting to Christianity. The Jews appealed to the Emperor to reconsider this edict, and Maximilian agreed to investigate the matter. He appointed Johann Reuchlin, a famed German scholar, to conduct the investigation. The report issued by Reuchlin was very positive. He demonstrated that the books openly insulting to Christianity were very few and viewed as worthless by most Jews themselves. The other books were needed for Jewish worship, and contained much value in the areas of theology and science.
The Emperor rescinded his edict on the 14th of Sivan, 1510.''
Shalom Talmudim and Chaverim:
Stephanie wanted to remind us, with a bit of history, that while most of us in this class, if not all, live in nations where Jewish texts are readily available, for much of our history, it was forbidden to study them.
Indeed the Haftarah was developed during a time when the Syrian-Greeks would not let us study Torah. (There are those who state that the Haftarah was developed to be read with the Torah portion, by Rabbis, to counter the priests, who were against the development of Talmudic Rabbinic Judaism, and only ascribed to the Five Books of Moses).
It is ironic that in the USA and Israel, where we are the most free to study and be spiritual Jews, we are some of the least learned at this point in our history.
Thanks Stephanie for sharing this bit of history, below.
Shalom.
Rabbi Arthur Segal
Hebrew College, Newton Centre, MA, USA
via Shamash org on-line class
StephanieYeates@aol.com
Sent: 6/17/2008 12:49:22 P.M. Eastern Daylight Time
Subj: Jewish Spiritual Renewal: Tuesday, June 17, 2008
''Today in Jewish History Sivan 14, 5768 = June 17, 2008
Jewish Books Spared from Destruction (1510)
in 1509, Emperor Maximilian of Germany ordered that all Jewish books in the cities of Cologne and Frankfort be destroyed. This followed the request of Pfefferkorn, a baptized Jew, who claimed that Jewish literature was insulting to Christianity. The Jews appealed to the Emperor to reconsider this edict, and Maximilian agreed to investigate the matter. He appointed Johann Reuchlin, a famed German scholar, to conduct the investigation. The report issued by Reuchlin was very positive. He demonstrated that the books openly insulting to Christianity were very few and viewed as worthless by most Jews themselves. The other books were needed for Jewish worship, and contained much value in the areas of theology and science.
The Emperor rescinded his edict on the 14th of Sivan, 1510.''
Shalom.
Stephanie
credit to Chabad.org
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