a nation in flux #13

the 13th century

Accusations against the Rambam

• 1200: R' Meir Abulafia writes to the Rabbis of France to ban the study of the Rambams works for people below a certain age.
• R' Shmuel ben Eli fought vehemently against those Jews who falsely converted to Islam. (Iggeret Teiman)

Rav Avraham ben HaRambam

• B. 1186 (when his father ws 51)
• Sultan's physician after his father's death (age 18)
• Ended the practice of sitting in the Mizrach.
• Defended his father
• Wrote prolifically esp. HaMaspik l'Ovdei Hashem

Attacks on the Rambam

• 1232: R' Shlomo min HaHar issues a ban against people who study Rambam
• 1233: Book burning in Montpellier. Opponents also told the Church that the Rambam was anti-Christian

The Argument

• The Secular World
• Phylosophy

The 4th Crusade

• 1203: Capture Yerushalayim though Egypt
• 1204: Constantinople was taken, Christians fighting each other. (Pope John Paul apologized in 2001)

1215 Fourth Council of the Lateran

• Distinguish Jews and non Christians with clothing
• Mandatory confession once per year,
• Communion once per year (new era of Jew hatered)
• No Jews in certain businesses
• The Inquision

The INQUISITION

• 1230s
• Never targeted Jews, but unfaithful Christians
• In Spain it ended in 1834

Book Burning as a weapon

• 1230s: Nicholos Domin
• 1240: Public Debates begin between Jews and Christians (R' Yechiel of Paris, and the Sar of Kutzi)
• These debates were designed to be unfair.

Burning the Talmud

• 1242: Erev Shabbos, Parshas Chukas
• King Louis IV
• Maharam of Rotenberg wrote a kinnah about it.
• 1244: Christian debt to Jews was decreased by a third.

The Repentance of Rabbeinu Yonah

• Chief Rabbi of Gerona
• Sets out to ask forgiveness for his part.
• Teaches for 3 years in Barcelona, then Toledo until his death in 1263

Ramban

• 1194-1270
• Succeeded his cousin as the Chief Rabbi of Spain
• Worked hard to resolve the disputes against the Rambam.

The Resolution

• Opposed the study of Phylosophy
• Opposed book burning
• Accepted in later centuries.

The Ramban's writings

• Famous commentary on the Chumash
• Talmudic texts
• Kabbalistic texts

The Discertation of barcelona

• July 20, 1263: Ramban vs Pablo Christiani
• King James I of Aragon gave Ramban free speech
• The task was to prove Christianity from the Talmud and Tanach.
• The Church had prepared Baptismal Fonts to prepare for the wave of Jews who would convert.

The Outcome

• "I've never heard a man so wrong, argue his case so well."
• That Shabbos, the King came to lecture the Jews on their obligation to convert.
• Pablo published that the Ramban lost.
• Ramban flees Spain

The School of the Ramban

• Rashba
• Ra'ah
• Ritva
• Meiri
• Ran

Zohar

• R' Moshe D'lion published it, was authored by Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai
• Basis of Kabbalah today

r' Yitzchak ohr zarua

• Rabbi of Vienna
• Famous for his book, his shul and his student:
• The Maharam of Rotenberg

Maharam of Rotenberg

• The leader of German Jewry
• He taught Rabbeinu Asher, the Mordechai, Shaarei Dura
• Imprisoned in Lombary, turned over to Rudolf I
• Maharam refused to be randomed, for Tikkun Olam.
• Died 7 years later in prison. His body was kept for 14 years.

The Century in Anti Semitism

• Magna Carta absolves an heir of interest to Jews
• 1255 Lincoln - A Christian boy fell in a well and Jews were blamed
• England developed a Tablet shaped badge
• 10000 English Jews are expelled (until the 1600s)

THE CENTURY IN ANTI SEMITISM

• 10th of Av 1306: Philip the Fair expels Jews to claim their property.
• 1241: Jews of Frankfurt are killed.
• 1298: Jews of Rotenham are accused of desecrating the Host and killed. (Rindfleisch Massacres)