Letter to Samuel ben Ḥananiah

To the dear coronet of glory, the great, holy one, our master and our teacher, our lord who is the shield of our generation, the city of our refuge, the light of our eyes, and the crown of our head. He alone is our lord, R. Samuel, the nagid of God’s people, the holy ark and the inner sanctuary of the Temple—may the Rock of Israel allow him to look upon the rebuilding of Ariel, and in his days may our redeemer come to gather together the scattered flock from the hands who shear it, and may we be allowed to see our lord as treasurer and trusted superintendent in the Hall of Secret Donations of the House of our God [one of the Temple chambers; see m. Shekalim 5:9]. I, whose signature follows at the end of these few lines, am obliged to inform our honorable lord that I have indeed come, as my lord decreed to his servant, and am now in Benhā. When I arrived in Alexandria and saw how the people behaved, I thought that it was due to their distance from your honor that they behaved in such a way, and I said to myself that perhaps those nearer to our lord would be perfumed by his scent. But instead, they wallow in their own dung and remain unwashed of their filth! Men of learning are as animals in their eyes; the law and the statutes are worthless in their eyes. My heart was immediately pained, and I was astounded at the difference I had seen here compared to all the [other] communities of Israel. I debated inwardly why they should be so, how they endure their own behavior, and how they can set their minds to eating their bread without [saying] a prayer. I reconsidered and comforted myself with the thought that since scholars do not dwell among them to point out the way in which they should walk, the Holy One judges such people as sinning inadvertently; may it thus be the will of the One who dwells on high to judge these people as inadvertent sinners and not as willful sinners, for nevertheless, they are His children, and He will have compassion for us and for them.

Now, if I have found favor in your eyes, my lord, do not delay me any further; rather, for the sake of the glory of heaven, enable me to come up and pay my respects to you and to throw myself down on the ground before your honor. Do not let my lord underestimate the trouble I have had bringing myself out of Alexandria and reaching this place. This man was hired to conduct me from Maḥalla [al-Maḥalla al-Kubrā, a town in the Nile Delta] as far as here [Benhā], and I paid his hire from here onward so that my letter might reach your honor, for these people don’t even regard me [with the respect due] an ox [trained to gore] in the stadium [see m. Bava Kamma 4:4]. I can receive your honor’s letter [in reply] through this messenger. Also, could you inform me how I may bring some books I have with me and whether I can enter [Fustāt] in my own clothing, for people have been filling me with fear regarding my speech and my clothing! My lord knows already that since the beginning of the month of Nisan, I have been living in Alexandria, and that I made it through the summer only in a state of crying and great distress. Now, if I have found favor in my lord’s eyes, please let me not suffer further privation. May the Holy One aid and support you each time you call upon him, and may your end be greater than your beginning, as it is written: And though your beginning was small, your end will greatly increase (Job 8:7).

Elijah, son of the scholar Caleb, son of the scholar Leon—may his soul be bound up in the bundle of life!

Address

May it be brought to our honorable lord and our master and our teacher Samuel, nagid ha-negidim and prince of princes, chariotry of Israel and its horsemen (2 Kings 2:12), crown of our head, diadem of our glory, tower of our strength. From Elijah son of the scholar Caleb son of the scholar Leon—may his soul be bound up in the bundle of life!—his servant.

Source: CUL T-S 10J9.14.