Torah Scroll Consumed by Fire – שאלי שרופה באש

This kina by the Meir ben Baruch, the Maharam of Rothenburg, was composed in reaction to the burning of the Talmud in Paris in the year 1242. It is sung to this day by observing Jews during the fast of Tisha B’Av. In this beautifully written lament the Maharam borrows heavily from Rabbi Yehudah Ha’Levi’s…