Letter of Allegiance to Mevorakh ben Se‘adya

Unknown

ca. 1095

About This Entry

This letter was sent by an unnamed Jewish leader from Dhū Jibla, Yemen, to Mevorakh ben Se‘adya, recently reappointed to the position of “head of the Jews” in Fātimid Egypt. Mevorakh had regained his position after the downfall of David ben Daniel ha-Nasi, and the Jews of Yemen demonstrated their fealty to him in a number of ritualized ways. Although Yemenite Jewry was usually more closely associated with the Babylonian geonim, this letter shows that their loyalties were complex and shifting, like those of many other communities. In all likelihood, connections between the Jewish communities of Yemen and Egypt were strengthened by the increasing Fātimid influence in Yemen and the ongoing trade between the two regions.

[ . . . ] Prince of Princes, Nagid of Nagids, the Great Sanhedrin, the Sage of the Academy, the Might of all the House of Israel—the Merciful One protect him and strengthen his fortune, son of the glorious diadem, our master and teacher Sa‘adya—may his soul be bound up in the bundle of life! Accept greetings, our lord, without end and a blessing without measure from your servant, who reckons your praise and recounts your delightfulness, who extols you at every gathering and celebration, Jacob ha-Kohen son of Isaiah—his rest be in the Garden of Eden. With his shortcomings and his lack of knowledge, he has inscribed these few lines to inquire of our lord’s health as is customary for a servant to one as honourable as he, because his honour is greatly superior, and respect for him is recorded and inscribed deep within his servant’s heart. And so it was that when his servant heard tell of him, of his humility and of his fear of sin, and of his modest view of himself and of his stature in the eyes of all creation, that his respect was redoubled and bound up in the heart. May the Almighty add greatness to his greatness, and may he be celebrated for grace and kindness in the eyes of the Almighty and of man. And may He keep him from all danger and sorrow and shine His light continually upon you, to give you insight to seek Him always so that you might succeed in all that you do.

And we should give thanks to our God, whose kindness and truth have not forsaken the people of the house of Israel and who has provided them with a wall so that the Torah cannot be forgotten from their congregations. And truly the concerns of the wise and righteous men of piety are our lord’s concerns, and furthermore all the people who are in our land have rejoiced in a great celebration and praised the Almighty who has kept the covenant of their forefathers with their seed after them, providing them with someone of the stature of our lord, a source of living water that they may live and know what they must do in following His Law.

And though He promised but a little aid, He has indeed provided a great and powerful aid. May our steadfast God be blessed in all his affairs, and may our lord in his wisdom and in his thoughts guide us and all the congregations of Israel on a righteous and straight path, as scripture (Exodus 18:20) states: And you will show them the way they must walk in and the work that they must do.

Translated by Amir Ashur and Benjamin M. Outhwaite.

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Credits

Unknown, “Letter of Allegiance to Mevorakh ben Se‘adya,” trans. Amir Ashur and Ben Outhwaite, in Amir Ashur and Ben Outhwaite, “An Eleventh-Century Pledge of Allegiance to Egypt from the Jewish Community of Yemen,” Chroniques du manuscrit au Yémen, vol. 22 (2016): 34–48 (44–46). Used with permission of the translators.

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