The town of Worms, Germany hosts the oldest extant Jewish cemetery in Europe. No grave in Worms is more famous than the 13th century Rabbi Meir of Rothenburg, usually referred to by the honorific Maharam or ‘Our Great Teacher, Rabbi Meir’. Directly adjacent to Maharam’s eternal resting place stands the headstone of a Jewish noble, Alexander Wimpfen. Despite the many centuries that have passed between the Middles Ages and today, the precedents established by these two men reverberate today on the mitzvah/commandment of pidyon shvuyim/redeeming captives.
In July 1286, Maharam of Rothenburg attempted to flee Germany due to religious persecution. As he approached the border, the soldiers of King Rudolf I of Habsburg seized him, demanding an enormous ransom from the Jewish community. As the leading authority on Jewish law in his era, Maharam himself was asked by the community what they ought to do. As Jewish history is replete with instances of captivity, Maharam had several historical case studies to consult including many whose evidence remains today. The Roman Empire prominently placed a relief of Jewish slaves being led by their oppressors on the Arch of Titus and minted coins known as Judea Capta depicting Jewish men and women in shackles. For Maharam, the issue of captives was well-worn territory.
Over the course of his nearly eight-year incarceration, Maharam of Rothenburg dutifully perused the sources, Biblical and Talmudic, on redeeming captives, explicitly defined as the greatest mitzvah in the Torah. It is difficult to overstate just how concerned the Talmud is with redeeming captives, describing being held hostage as a fate worse than famine or death. The author of the Code of Jewish Law, several centuries after Maharam, writes “Every moment that one delays unnecessarily the ransoming of a captive, it is as if he were to shed blood.”
However, the Talmud placed limits on the community’s responsibility or even ability to ransom captives ‘for more than their worth’ in fear of encouraging more Jews being taken captive. Thus, Maharam of Rothenburg forbade the Jewish community to pay his ransom despite their pleas for him to reconsider. After Maharam died in prison, the authorities refused to release his body for 14 years until the benefactor Alexander Wimpfen paid an enormous sum so that Maharam would finally receive a Jewish burial. The community honored Wimpfen’s sacrifice by placing his grave adjoining Maharam’s with the epitaph reading “…[Wimpfen] had the heart and opportunity to do a great mitzvah and to redeem our teacher and our leader, R. Meir ben R. Baruch, from the prison where he was held following his death for several years.”
Despite the immense amount of commentary, tragically more practical than theoretical, on the taking of Jewish captives, we still find ourselves in uncharted waters. To quote the Talmud, how do we ‘determine the value’ of entire families including infants, toddlers, their mothers, fathers and grandparents? Each one represents an entire world. The devil’s arithmetic at play on what the State of Israel, or even the Jewish community more broadly, must sacrifice to free our brethren is far less simple than the already complicated calculations made by Maharam of Rothenburg in 13th century Germany or in freeing Gilad Shalit more recently.
For instance, if a demand was made for $1 million per captive, would Jewish communities worldwide be expected to donate to that fundraiser? Just the thought of it shocks the conscience. Nevertheless, the historical parallels with Maharam of Rothenburg and many others throughout history, including the still controversial Kastner train during the Shoah, are neither far-fetched nor far off but of course drastically different than today. From our perch in Tokyo, it saddens me to write there is little more we can do than pray through tears to Bring Them Home, Bring Them Home, please God, Bring Them Home.
Services
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, November 3rd
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner by reservation: 7:00pm
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, November 10th
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner by reservation: 7:00pm
Shabbat Chayei Sarah
JCJ 70th Anniversary Kiddush Lunch sponsored by the JCC Board of Directors
Saturday, November 11th
Services: 10:00am
Kiddush: 12:00pm
Storytelling program: 1:30pm
Registration Details
Kabbalat Shabbat
Friday, November 17th
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner by reservation: 7:00pm
Kabbalat Shabbat
High Likelihood of Turkey. Stuffing questionable.
Friday, November 24th
Services: 6:00pm
Dinner by reservation: 7:00pm
Events
JCJ 70th Anniversary Kiddush Lunch
Our Story: A Community 70 Years Strong
Saturday, November 11th
Services: 10:00am
Kiddush: 12:00pm
Storytelling program: 1:30pm
Registration Details
If you have an idea for an event or a topic you would like to share with others, please visit our website.
Announcements
We have been invited to take part in a virtual candle lighting vigil with Jewish communities throughout Asia Pacific on Monday November 6 from 5:30pm-5:45pm. Please join us via the Zoom Link here.
NHK produced a beautiful article on the performance of the Gernsheim Duo with an interview conducted at the JCC.
Yiddish Club with Jack Halpern: Please contact Jack at jack@cjki.org if you are interested to join. All levels are welcome, from beginner to advanced. Much more than just language, the club’s monthly meetings explore Yiddish culture as well.
Shabbat Vayera
Candle Lighting: 4:26pm
Havdala: 5:23pm