The Inspiring Journey of Rebbetzin Miriam: From Housewife to Yeshiva Head
With the blessing of the local sages, Rabbi Samson's wife, Rebbetzin Miriam of Speyer, was appointed the head of the yeshiva. Having grown up among scholars and learning Torah from her father and husband, she was invaluable and irreplaceable.
- יהוסף יעבץ
- פורסם כ"ח שבט התשפ"ה
#VALUE!
The roots of Ashkenazi Jewry can be traced to Cologne<\/a>, from where they moved to the famous three communities of SHUM: Speyer, Worms, and Mainz. Historically speaking, Jews lived in Worms and Mainz before settling in Speyer. Back then, the arrival of Jews in a new city was unexpected and not always welcomed. After the death of Louis the Pious<\/a> in 840, the condition of Jews in the Rhine area deteriorated. But here's what happened.<\/p> In 1084, over 700 years after Jews settled in Cologne, Bishop Ruediger Huzmann of Speyer had a thought: his city needed Jews! He extended an invitation to them, promising to build a wall around their neighborhood for safety. His letter, a historical artifact, states: "I, Ruediger Huzmann, Bishop of Speyer, by elevating Speyer to a city, thought I would greatly enhance our esteem by bringing in Jews to reside here. I settled them outside the existing community and housing of other residents. To prevent them from being easy targets of the crude mob, I encircled them with a wall... I granted them license and rights to trade gold and silver as they please... and just as the civic judge rules among citizens, so too does their synagogue leader among Jews... In complex matters, the bishop will intervene... They are permitted to hire our wet-nurses. Meat forbidden to them by their religion is allowed to be sold to Christians, and Christians may buy it... To mark this for posterity, I have signed and sealed this document on September 13, 1084."<\/p> Jews accepted this invitation, especially since a fire in Mainz that year had affected them. Within years, Speyer became a thriving Jewish hub. The bishop constructed a grand cathedral still standing today, funded by Jewish merchants' loans. Emperor Henry IV endorsed the Jews of Speyer's charter, entrusting it to Rabbi Kalonymus of Speyer<\/a>, a descendant of Rabbi Kalonymus "the Jewish King<\/a>"<\/span><\/u>."<\/p> The synagogue in Speyer, still existing today, witnessed monumental events. If its walls could speak, they would recount Jews gathering for Psalms and prayers in terror when marauders sought their destruction in 1096, during the First Crusade. Although the communities of Mainz and Worms were nearly annihilated, the prayers of Speyer's Jews were answered. Bishop John became their savior, as contemporary writers describe: "When Bishop John heard, he came with troops, aided the community wholeheartedly, sheltered them in chambers, and rescued them." Within the cathedral built with Jewish funds, they found refuge, the bishop's soldiers guarded the doors, and the marauders retreated. Sadly, some Jews who couldn't reach the cathedral were killed, mourned by Rabbi Kalonymus: "I lament the martyred of Ashpira... For the sanctification of the unique name, they heroically unified the name in strength, valiant warriors fulfilling His word quickly, priests, and my young men, ten in total were struck down... In the third month, during the singing of Hallel, in love bound, they surrendered their souls...".<\/p> Naturally, the synagogue’s walls could tell tales of the world-renowned figures who studied and issued rulings there, like the son-in-law of Rashi, Rabbi Isaac ben Asher, the Riva of the Tosafists, and Rabbi Eliezer ben Meshullem, Rashi's relation. But a unique event from a particular period is distinct to Speyer: Around 1380, the yeshiva head, Rabbi Solomon Shapiro, a great-grandson of Rashi, passed away. His son-in-law, Rabbi Samson Luria from Worms, succeeded him. Tragically, Rabbi Samson also passed away soon, leaving his students at a loss. However, with the local sages' consensus, Rabbi Samson’s wife, Rebbetzin Miriam of Speyer, was appointed as the yeshiva head, as she had been raised among scholars, learning extensively from her father and husband without anyone willing to forgo her teachings.<\/p> Her descendant, Rabbi Solomon Luria, the Maharshal, recounts: "The revered Rebbetzin Miriam, may she rest in peace, led the yeshiva for several days and years, teaching halacha behind a curtain before exceptional students." The Luria family was a distinguished lineage, maintaining genealogies tracing back to King David. Rebbetzin Miriam of Speyer’s grandson was Rabbi Yochanan Luria, the author of "Mashiv Nefesh." His brother, Rabbi Yechiel Luria, was the first Rabbi of Brisk and the Maharshal’s ancestor. Though fewer details about Rebbetzin Miriam of Speyer, descended from the holy Rashi, survive, the available accounts attest to her greatness and how revered her teachings were among city scholars, leading them to appoint her as the yeshiva head in Israel’s mother city.<\/span><\/p>
