Abraham ben Hillel

Abraham ben Hillel was a member of the Jewish elite in Fustāt (Old Cairo), Egypt. He is mainly known for The Scroll of Zuta (Megilat Zuta), a rhymed satirical work lampooning an individual named “Zuta” (lit., “the little one”), likely Sar Shalom ben Moses ha-Levi. The text recounts how Zuta attempted to gain leadership of the Jewish community, in a power struggle with Moses Maimonides. Many manuscripts of The Scroll of Zuta survive, attesting to its popularity among Egyptian Jews; none offers the view of Maimonides’ opponent. Abraham ben Hillel was a scholar of some note, with a large library of medical and rabbinic works, and Maimonides’ son Abraham (1186–1237) frequently quoted him. Together with Maimonides, Abraham ben Hillel signed a communal ordinance in 1167 regarding the observance of family purity law.