Book of Conviviality in Exile (Commentary on Esther)

The Book of Conviviality in Exile (Kitāb al-īnās bi-’l-jalwa) is perhaps the first single-authored Jewish commentary on the book of Esther. Here, Se‘adya brings up the question of dissimulation (taqiyya), the act of concealing one’s religious beliefs due to persecution. Although he does not mention this concern, dissimulation was at the foreground of contemporary Shī‘ite theology, owing to the persecution of many Shī‘ites, especially in Sunni realms. Se‘adya deftly integrates rabbinic sources into his analysis. According to Jewish law, one must allow oneself to be killed rather than transgress three specific sins—idolatry, fornication, and murder—but only those three. In the case of other sins, one should transgress them rather than be killed, unless it is being demanded under specific circumstances (in public, for the specific purpose of making the Jew forswear his faith). Here, Se‘adya draws examples from scripture to illustrate the various halakhic possibilities.