Center of the Universe

The imposing towers of Benatek Castle were shrouded in darkness. The ornate crystal chandeliers in the parlor had been extinguished and the servants had been issued strict instructions not to light even the smallest candle. Groping their way through the darkened corridors they silently mocked their eccentric master for his insistence on eliminating all artificial sources of light.

On the roof wrapped in fur coats to protect themselves from the frigid European winter night sat three men for whom the entire castle had been plunged into darkness. They gazed intensely into the night sky and examined the constellations a difficult task in the days preceding the invention of the telescope.

The first of the three was a potbellied fellow whose most distinguishing feature was the artificial silver nose that dominated his wide face. His original nose had been lost in a duel many years earlier. His name was Tycho Brahe and he was the imperial astronomer of the Holy Roman Emperor Rudolf II. At Brahe’s side sat Johannes Kepler a frail man with eyes sunk deep in his face. Relatively unknown at the time within a short few years he would become the most renowned astronomer in the world.

The third member of the group was an unusual guest — a bearded Jewish rabbi with peyos and tzitzis fluttering in the nocturnal wind. This scholar was Rabbi Dovid Ganz a talmid of the Maharal and a meshamesh of the Rema. He had just arrived at Benatek Castle from his hometown of Prague and the servants had immediately led him to the roof where the others had been awaiting him.