Letter to the Nagid of Qayrawān

The Judeo-Arabic letter excerpted here deals with a conflict that arose when Nathan ben Abraham attempted to claim the position of gaon in Palestine in place of the member of the academy who would normally have inherited the role. The text does not mention Nathan by name, but Shemariah details the support that Nathan had received and Shemariah’s own opposition to Nathan’s leadership. Solomon ben Judah, Nathan’s opponent in this internecine Jewish battle, was a native of Fez, Morocco, and, unlike Nathan, did not belong to a leading Palestinian Jewish family. Shemariah also mentions that Nathan had appealed to the Muslim authorities. Ellipses indicate lacunae in the manuscript, and italicized words were originally in Hebrew.