The Maharam Rothenburg Flashcards
What was his full name?
R’ Meir ben Baruch
He was the leader of _________ Jewry.
Ashkenazi
He lived in ___(a)___, but left Europe for ___(b)___
a) Germany
b) ארץ ישראל
The Turkish Sultan, who controlled ארץ ישראל at the time, encouraged immigration in the hope that they would build up the country. So what was the problem with moving there, and what happened because of it?
It was illegal in Germany for a Jew to leave his town, so he set out anonymously. In Italy, he was recognized by a משומד who betrayed him to the baron. He sold the Maharam to the Austrian emperor who held him for ransom. (He wanted 30 000 marks). The Maharam refused to allow the Jews to ransom him because he didn’t want people to start kidnapping Gedolim for ransom. He died in prison.
What happened to his body after he died?
It lay for 7 years without decomposing, when the emperor died. It was ransomed from his son by a Jew who paid in exchange for being buried next to the צדיק.
