6/17/09

Pope Orders Talmud Confiscated and Burned

We recommend the blog, "This Day in Jewish History" which reports for today (June 17):
1242: At the decree of Pope Gregory IX and King Louis, all copies of the Talmud were confiscated in Paris. Declaring that the reason for the stubbornness of the Jews was their study of the Talmud, the Pope called for an investigation of the Talmud that resulted in its condemnation and burning. Twenty-four cartloads of Hebrew manuscripts were publicly burned. Rabbi Meir was an eyewitness to the public burning of the twenty-four cartloads of Talmudic manuscripts (and he bewailed this tragedy in his celebrated "Kina" Shaali serufah (שאלי שרופה) which is still recited on Tisha B'Av.

1 comment:

Eli Duker said...

The date you postedis meaningless, as its on the Julian calender. שריפת התלמוד took place ערב שבת פרשת חקת which can't possibly fall out that early in Chu"l according to the civil calender used today.