Letter to Ḥasday Ibn Shaprūṭ

[You are] a disk [sahar] that the Rock polished for us, standing at the breach to strengthen, to repair, and to fence up our rifts, opening a hand to every side to tear the yoke from our neck, watching over the insult [perpetrated upon] the unfortunate poor and the rich of our generation [alike]. Adorned, bound, and arrayed with all the commandments of our law. A wonderful chain and necklace for our neck. A support and a staff to give us strength and aid us, our mainstay, and a buckler and a shield, and he who unites us, the separated.

From us, the communities of France, your servants, the dust on your footstool, your loathsome ones, your reckless ones, your lowly and your insignificant, who seek shelter in your shade, and take cover under your wings. We implore our Creator to favor you with the contentment of your form and the health of your body, and in the exalting of your horn, that it should be raised up above like the horns of the wild ox, the elevation of your honor and the splendor of your glory.

Let our honorable lord know that we are living in peace—praise and thanks to the One who gave the word of command, and the world was created—in body and soul, because of the good tidings that our eminent men, Mar Saul, R. Joseph, and Mar Judah, brought to us, when they came from our lord. It was clear to all that they had been standing at the threshold of the dwelling of our prince.

In regard to this, in the power of their wisdom, the sages stated a declaration of truth and clarity: Whoever approaches a fat man becomes fat [b. Shevu‘ot 47b]. This is known to our leader who with gifts and presents . . . and soul with the good tidings that Mar Samuel, the emissary of our lord and his trusted servant, brought us. And he urged us to think of a [suitable] service for our God’s elect [i.e., Ḥasday] [to perform], and we searched and found an opportunity for our lord in the city of Toulouse, where the Jews pay a tax consisting of thirty pounds of wax to the church during their festival of light every year [Easter], and on handing over the wax, they give its bearer a wound on his neck. When Mar Samuel, the trusted servant of our lord heard [this], he said, “This matter will be easy to abolish in the eyes of my lord.” And we said, “Perhaps by his veiled means our lord can abolish this decree.”

And we rejoiced greatly with all our heart and soul, and we gave praise to the Rock of our refuge, and we blessed the holy name of Him whose kindness and truth has not abandoned His people Israel and who raised up for us such a faithful, holy, kind and upright shepherd as this one, through whose kindness, righteousness, and humility we may live among the nations. And blessed be the Lord who has fulfilled the word of His promise: For Israel and Judah have not been forsaken [by their God] (Jeremiah 51:5). And He has caused salvation to sprout through a choice and distinguished plant in his vineyard, one such as he who piles up blessings and charitable acts as other people gather up their produce. May it be the will of our King, who establishes shepherds, gives the rule to kings, and raises up princes, that He establish his splendor, his majesty, his rule, and his glory for many [days and] years. And may you cause our eyes to be illumined with his glorious counsel and bestow upon him grace, kindness, and mercy, in his eyes and in the eyes of all who see him, and before the earthly kings and all who hear him, to increase his power and reach, salvation, wealth, and honor. And may he exalt his horn forever.

We implore that the letter of his servants should not find disfavor in his eyes because we are not suited to this. But it is only because of our great love for our lord, and our confidence in his great humility and in the extent of his kindness that we have therefore written [only] a hint of a fraction of the ways of our master and our teacher, the Prince of Israel. Let us give an example to illustrate this: it is like doing honor to a king who possesses a million gold centenaria [kentare] with the gift of two silver centenaria. But we were afraid to multiply words before the honor of our delight, the beauty of our perfection, the joy of our glory, the breath of our nostrils, his greatness, and his glory.

May he be fruitful, increase, and become great, may he be praised, distinguished, and proclaimed, and may he be preserved and protected forever.

Source: CUL T-S Misc. 35.45.