| Today is: Monday, Sivan 14, 5772 · June 4, 2012
• Jewish Books Spared from Destruction (1510)
In 1509, Emperor Maximilian of Germany ordered that all Jewish books in the cities of Cologne and Frankfurt am Main 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 The Emperor rescinded his edict on the 14th of Sivan, 1510.
One who engages in illusions of grandeur is fooling no one but himself; so what's the big deal of fooling a fool? - Rabbi Shmuel of Lubavitch (1834-1882)
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