Meir ben Baruch of Rothenburg and Eretz Israel / זיקתו של מהר"ם מרוטנבורג אל ארץ-ישראל

Meir ben Baruch of Rothenburg (known as 'Maharam') — the greatest Jewish sage in thirteenth -century Germany — had a deep emotional attachment to Eretz Israel in general, and to Jerusalem in particular. This is corroborated by new evidence, recently discovered in several manuscripts, to the effect that Maharam would bow toward Jerusalem whenever he mentioned its name in prayer; that every evening, before retiring, he would recite Psalm 122 which expresses the psalmist's joy at the thought of standing within the gates of Jerusalem; and that he had a special reverence for halakhah (Jewish law) set down by the sages of Eretz Israel. Some scholars believed that Maharam had been influenced by the hasidim of medieval Ashkenaz (Germany), some of whom opposed emigration to the Holy Land, an act which they considered to be 'active messianism'. This is unfounded. The very opposite is true: Maharam interpreted halakhah in a manner which supported those of his contemporaries who intended to settle in Eretz Israel and encouraged them to do so, provided that they had means of support and conducted themselves in a manner befitting the Holy Land. His own attempt to emigrate to Eretz Israel in 1286, which was thwarted by his imprisonment in Italy, is of great importance. Scores of families from five communities in Germany intended to settle in Jerusalem together with Maharam. It was his intention to establish an Ashkenazi Jewish community in Eretz Israel which would encourage additional Jews from Germany and other countries to join them. It is difficult to accept the opinion of many scholars that Maharam intended to settle in Acre with his entourage. His destination was definitely Jerusalem, which was then ruled by the Mamluks. The primary motives which led to Maharam's attempted settlement in Eretz Israel were: the imminent end of the Crusader kingdom (he believed this to be a sign from Heaven, an omen of Israel's coming Redemption); the example set by Rabbi Yehuda Halevi and Nachmanides who emigrated to the Holy Land; and the deterioration in the juridicial status and personal security of the Jews in Germany.