Many tourists visit the Vatican in order to view the remarkable artwork that has been painted, gathered, and collected there over the centuries. The Vatican archives also contain numerous ancient Torah manuscripts, and many Jewish scholars have been tempted over the ages to get a glimpse of these rare and precious works. Some visitors to the Vatican have even reported seeing artifacts from the Beit Hamikdash, the Holy Temple, stored there, including items as precious as the Menorah and the Parochet (curtains).
May a Jewish tourist visit the Vatican in order to view these items? What are the Jewish legal and ethical considerations? Do we indeed say, “When in Rome...”?
We explore these questions and more in the light of Talmudic discourse and Jewish law in our third session of Headlines.
