Against Menaḥem Ibn Sarūq’s Maḥberet: Introduction

A member of the circle of Ḥasday Ibn Shaprūṭ, Dunash ben Labraṭ composed an impassioned critique of the Notebook (Maḥberet; a Hebrew dictionary) of Menaḥem Ibn Sarūq. The work is written as a poem with a lengthy commentary; the prose commentary sections explain in detail the objections to the Notebook. Dunash announced that Menaḥem had adopted problematic theological views and had erred in some of the fundamentals of Hebrew grammar. One claim consisted of the probably baseless accusation that Menaḥem had embraced certain aspects of Karaism. Dunash’s attack on Menaḥem spurred responses and counterresponses among their students. In these excerpts, Dunash attempts to show the purity of his intentions.