Nissim Ibn Shāhīn

Perhaps the leading figure of mid-tenth-century Qayrawān, Tunisia, Nissim ben Jacob Ibn Shāhīn was a member of a prominent family in that city and corresponded frequently with the geonim of his day, Samuel ben Ḥofni Ga’on (d. 1013) and Hayya Ga’on (939–1038). Nissim’s foremost teacher was his father, who had served as head of the local center of learning (bet midrash). Nissim composed one of the earliest talmudic commentaries as well as the Scroll of Secrets, a private notebook containing material on a range of legal and nonlegal topics. Nissim’s writings evince a deep knowledge of Arabic literature and theology. His An Elegant Composition concerning Relief after Adversity and Ease after Anguish reflects a popular Arabic genre that anthologized legends about being saved from trouble and contains stories from both Jewish and non-Jewish sources.