Episode 5: Continued - The Story of the Kohen and the Divorced Woman

00:01 We continue the story of the history of Chassidus and of the Maharal of Prague. The Maharal is in Krakow, where he hears the astonishing story of the kohen who wanted to marry a divorced woman. Krakow’s elderly rabbi, the great Torah scholar and tzaddik Rabbi Yitzchak, was not intimidated by the prince or his command. Calmly but firmly, he told the prince: “I would gladly do as you wish in any matter. But in this matter there is a higher authority: the Master of the entire world, whose will is decisive. Since the Torah forbids a kohen to marry a divorced woman, I will not lend my hand to something that violates the Torah.” The prince flew into a rage. “I insist that you perform the marriage of Zeligman and the divorced woman,” he cried, “and we shall see whose will prevails.” Days passed, and the rabbi stood by his refusal. One day, armed soldiers appeared at his home with orders to bring him by force to the marketplace in the center of the city. There he was to perform the wedding ceremony for Sigmund Zeligman and the woman he had chosen. In the square, under the open sky, Zeligman, the divorced woman and her relatives awaited the rabbi, along with a large crowd of Jews and, lehavdil, non-Jews, curious to see what would happen. When the elderly rabbi arrived, escorted by the soldiers, he addressed Zeligman, the woman and their relatives with an unequivocal declaration: he would not violate the Torah’s command, even if it cost him his life. He pleaded with them to give up their plan, for then the prince would surely withdraw his order. He continued, “You will bear responsibility for the consequences of your stubbornness, and I warn you to change your minds while there is still time.” But Zeligman and the woman remained defiant. Seeing that he could not persuade them, the rabbi called out, “Master of the Universe, they want to force me to transgress Your commandment. Please, Hashem, sanctify Your name in the world. Give hope and a voice to those who seek You and keep Your commandments. Look down from Your holy dwelling in heaven, and extend Your kindness

03:07 to those who believe in You, and reveal Your holy arm against those who brazenly stand opposed to You.” Rabbi Yitzchak again turned to Zeligman and the woman, trying to persuade them to repent. They answered him with insolence and insults. The elderly rabbi burst into tears and whispered a prayer with deep devotion: “Answer me, Hashem, answer me. Act for the sake of Your holy, great and awesome name.” The rabbi had barely finished his prayer when a terrifying scream pierced the air. The ground suddenly split open. The bride and groom were swallowed in an instant into the gaping chasm. After a while, the chasm closed and the ground returned to the way it had been, as though nothing had happened. The large crowd that had witnessed it was stunned. Fear gripped everyone. The astonished soldiers tried to dig into the ground with their swords, but soon gave up and left the swords stuck in the place where the mysterious disaster had occurred. News of the frightening event immediately spread throughout the city, and people of all ages began streaming in from every direction to see what had happened. A surging crowd filled the marketplace. The prince soon arrived as well. In astonishment, he acknowledged the G-dly power of the elderly rabbi, who had been willing to give his life rather than violate the Torah’s command. The prince immediately sent men to the bishop to hear what he had to say. He feared that he, too, might be punished for trying to force the rabbi to help the sinners. The messengers returned with word that the bishop had lost his mind the moment he heard what had happened in the marketplace. The prince decided to visit the rabbi, who had meanwhile returned home, and ask forgiveness for having dishonored him and treated Judaism and the Torah of Moshe lightly. The prince told the rabbi that he was willing to undertake any act of atonement. The rabbi replied that the prince had nothing to apologize for: he had acted unwittingly, having been raised in another religion. Nevertheless, the rabbi asked

06:01 the prince to order a broad stone fence built around the spot in the marketplace where the couple had been swallowed, so that kohanim would not inadvertently walk over their graves. The prince promised to do so, and the fence was built shortly afterward. At that time, the head of Krakow’s Jewish community was Rabbi Yisroel Isserles, known for his wealth and his charitable giving. His son was the brilliant young Rabbi Moshe, who later became known as the Rema. When the Maharal and the Maharshal came to Krakow to study Torah, the Rema was eighteen years old and was the son-in-law of the great Torah scholar Rabbi Shalom Shachna of Lublin. His father, the community leader, built him a beis midrash where the young scholar devoted himself to Torah and avodah. And of course, as the son of a very wealthy man, he lacked nothing. The two visiting scholars, the Maharal and the Maharshal, studied with the Rema for three years. After three years, the Maharshal left Krakow, while the Maharal stayed and studied with the Rema for another two years. Then, in 5303, war broke out in Bohemia. The ruler of Prague went to war with other rulers, and the Maharal returned to Prague. Since the father of the woman to whom he was betrothed had become poor, Pearl—his daughter and the Maharal’s bride-to-be—opened a shop to support her family and her parents. Twelve years had passed since the Maharal had traveled far away to study Torah. During that time, Pearl had grown both spiritually and materially. Not only did she support her parents, she had also advanced considerably in her Torah studies and could discuss Torah matters with her brilliant fiancé with great skill. The Maharal was then thirty-two years old, and they married. Even after the wedding, Pearl continued to run her shop, which also supported their own household. Although its income was barely enough to sustain both families, this did not trouble the Maharal or his wife. The Maharal continued to study Torah diligently, while Pearl ran the shop and continued her studies in her spare time.