We live in times of political turmoil, and perhaps no one understands this better than incoming California Senator Adam Schiff, who has chosen to take his oath of office on a rare edition of the Mishneh Torah.

Written by the Rambam (also known as Maimonides) in the 12th century, the Mishneh Torah stands as one of Judaism’s most comprehensive and influential legal codes. Few editions of the Mishneh Torah are as historically significant as the 1490 version that Schiff has chosen. The copy was produced by Gershom ben Mosheh ish Sontsino, part of a pioneering family of Jewish printers in Milan whose influence on religious scholarship would span centuries.

Having led Donald Trump’s impeachment trial and co-chaired the January 6th investigation during his House tenure, Schiff’s choice of this historic volume on law and justice ironically comes as the former president, who recently called for the congressman’s imprisonment, readies for a return to office on January 20.

In a statement ahead of his swearing in on Monday, Schiff called Rambam’s masterpiece “a monumental legal code and one of the most organized, comprehensive, and influential works of Jewish law.”

He also isn’t alone in choosing historically resonant texts for such moments. When Josh Shapiro became Pennsylvania’s governor in 2023, he took his oath on three Hebrew Bibles, one of which survived the tragic 2018 Pittsburgh synagogue shooting that claimed eleven lives. Similarly, Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff chose to be sworn in on Hebrew scripture once owned by an Atlanta rabbi whose synagogue was bombed by white supremacists in 1958.”

Schiff will begin his Senate career by completing the remainder of Dianne Feinstein’s term following her passing in September 2023. The 64-year-old Jewish Democrat will then start his own full six-year term next month after winning a decisive victory over Republican Steve Garvey.