Letter to Ḥalfon ben Nethanel (I)

‘Amram ben Isaac

1140

To our honorable, splendid, glorious, great, and holy master and teacher, Ḥalfon Halevi of the clan of Kehat, the wise, sage, and respected nobleman who has feared heaven since he was a youth, the son of our master and teacher, the respected elder Nethaniel Halevi, who in life was pious and in memory, a blessing; from one who is grateful for his…

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This Judeo-Arabic letter from ‘Amram ben Isaac to his brother-in-law Ḥalfon ben Nethanel ha-Levi, a prominent Jew of Fātimid Egypt, informs the latter of the impending arrival of Judah ha-Levi (ca. 1075–1141) in Egypt. ‘Amram’s letter includes a Hebrew poem, and his appreciation of Judah ha-Levi bespeaks a high level of awareness regarding Andalusi Jewish elites and their poetry among Egyptian Jews, even among those who were not primarily intellectuals. His other writings likewise intersperse poetry with complaints about personal challenges and business needs. Unbracketed ellipses indicate lacunae in the manuscript.

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Related Guide

Correspondence in the Early Medieval World

7th to 12th Century

Creator Bio

‘Amram ben Isaac

12th Century

‘Amram ben Isaac was a businessman active in Alexandria. In addition to expressions about his business concerns, extant letters preserve his worries about his wife’s illness, his reflections on contemporaneous cultural events, and his commitment to scholarship.

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