Letter to Aaron ha-Ḥazan ben Ephraim

David ben Daniel ha-Nasi

Late 11th Century

[From:] The son of the exilarch.

The news reached us—our splendorous one, my dear ḥazan, R. Aaron, may God support you—concerning what the person known as Ibn Shā’ūl and his son did, undertaking ritual slaughter that went against established law. They transgressed time after time; even though they were exhorted and warned, these warnings did not concern them. So, we went forth and pronounced a ḥerem [ban] against anyone who speaks with them or does business with them or goes out to the bathhouse with them or gets within four cubits of them. It is necessary to promulgate this ban and to inform the Jewish community—may God defend it—to apply assiduously the excommunication according to the manner described, until [father and son] repent.

Salvation.

Source: JTS ENA 4009.11.

Translated by Brendan G. Goldman.

Published in: The Posen Library of Jewish Culture and Civilization, vol. 3: Encountering Christianity and Islam.

Engage with this Source

In this short letter, the controversial leader David ben Daniel charges Aaron ben Ephraim, a ḥazan (a synagogue functionary), with enforcing a ban of excommunication against an individual who had repeatedly violated the regulations surrounding the kosher slaughter of animals. It was not uncommon for communal leaders to enforce rules about the preparation of meat; in fact, the Muslim convert from Judaism and anti-Jewish polemicist Samaw’al al-Maghribī (d. 1175) attacked Jewish leaders whom he saw as flaunting their leadership by imposing stringencies on meat production. While there is insufficient evidence to impugn Daniel’s motives here, meat production was certainly politicized in the early medieval period and beyond. There is no way to know if Aaron acted upon David’s instructions.

Read more

Related Guide

Correspondence in the Early Medieval World

8th to 12th Century

Creator Bio

David ben Daniel ha-Nasi

11th Century

Born around 1058, David ben Daniel ben ‘Azariah, a scion of the family of the exilarchs, was raised in Damascus after his father, the Palestinian gaon Daniel ben ‘Azariah, died when David was a young child. David eventually settled in Egypt in the 1070s, where he married a woman from a prominent Karaite family. In 1082, he orchestrated, with the backing of leading Jewish figures in Egypt, the dismissal from office of the reigning head of the Jews of Egypt, Mevorakh ben Se‘adya, installing himself in his stead. During the twelve years of his rule, David greatly expanded the powers of this office, a process that culminated in its overshadowing and absorbing the institutional prerogatives previously enjoyed by the gaon of the Palestinian academy. David’s controversial positions were supported by some Muslim leaders, but he appears to have lost his standing after the death of his main financial backer.

You may also like

Letter to Nissim of Cairo

May God [return] to Zion, as spoken by the Lord: There are many who say: let her be defiled, and let our eye gaze upon Zion. But they know not the thoughts of the Lord, etc. (Micah 4:11–12). The…
View Source
Colorful illustration showing two facing seated figures in robes and long turbans, one bearded and writing on a scroll with a pen and the other gesturing.
Tooltip info icon

Letter to Her Brother

Peace from on high and blessings that [flourish] like the grass of the hills, like drops from Heaven and the flshes of the depths. Strength and vigor, grace, lovingkindness and mercy, and long life…
View Source
Two facing, damaged manuscript pages: on the right, a colorful illustration of a gold and red candelabrum within an arch, flanked by small six-pointed stars and surrounded by other objects and patterns; on the left, the first three letters of the Hebrew alphabet with various vowel combinations, in gold, blue, and red with contrasting outlines.
Tooltip info icon

Letter to a Student’s Father (I)

I would like to inform my lord the sheikh—God [Allah] preserve his strength!—that Abu ’l-Ḥasan, no sooner had he been given over [to my care] than his eye was on his schoolwork. But I have to inform…
View Source
Two facing, damaged manuscript pages: on the right, a colorful illustration of a gold and red candelabrum within an arch, flanked by small six-pointed stars and surrounded by other objects and patterns; on the left, the first three letters of the Hebrew alphabet with various vowel combinations, in gold, blue, and red with contrasting outlines.
Tooltip info icon

Letter to a Student’s Father (II)

What I have to inform my lord is that I have been defeated in educating this young man, Abū Manṣūr. Perhaps you might be in a position to help me with this. For whenever I beat him, I overdo the…
View Source