Nahray ben Nissim

Born in Qayrawān, Tunisia, Abū Yaḥya Nahray (or Nehorai) ben Nissim moved to Fustāt (Old Cairo) around 1040 and became a leading figure in the Jewish community there. Nahray studied with the renowned scholar Nissim Ibn Shāhīn in Qayrawān. His mastery of rabbinic sources is evident from his learned responses to legal queries. In Fustāt, Nahray was the head of the Babylonian congregation. He was also active in the Palestinian congregation and maintained close connections with the Jerusalem academy as well. He was close to David ben Daniel ha-Nasi during David’s time as exilarch (1082–1094). His archive of letters constitutes a significant portion of the documentary material in the Cairo Geniza, providing a wealth of detail about business transactions, charitable networks, and communal affairs.