A Chronicle of Hardship and Hope: An Autobiographical Account

In the annals of Jewish history, few biographies can match the pathos of the epic story can match the pathos of the epic story of Rabbi Yom Tov Lipmann Heller, the author of the Tosafos Yom Tov, the celebrated commentary on the Mishnah. Set against the backdrop of the tempestuous events of the Thirty Years' War in the seventeenth century, the saga of the illustrious leader's life unfolds. relating his fall from eminence and prestige to the depths of despair, to be snatches from the clutches of death by breathtaking miraculous intervention. Swept along by surging emotions, we are introduced into a bizarre world of intrigue and betrayal, confronted by the power of faith, heroism and magnanimity. History comes alive as we participate with utter fascination in a religious dispute, pitting twelve Catholic judges against one lone rabbi. From a front row seat, we follow the proceedings of a medieval court trial, to be stung by the venomous attacks of the judges and heartened by the rabbi's brilliant rebuttal. We encounter a cast of characters that runs the gamut from treacherous financiers to good-hearted righteous gentiles, from corrupt judges to a selfless shtadlan, the courageous advocate and defender of helpless Jews before ruthless despots, all overshadowed by the awe-inspiring personality of Rabbi Heller, the Chief Rabbi of Prague. Besides being the personal account of a towering Torah personality, this biography is also an important historic document, affording illuminating insights into the life of an eastern European Jewish community in the Middle Ages, its relations with the ruling circles and its deep-rooted respect for the authority of the rabbinate.