Responsum: On Eldad ha-Dani

In the middle of the ninth century, a mysterious figure by the name of Eldad ha-Dani appeared in Qayrawān (Kairouan), Tunisia. When Eldad presented a series of claims that the Jews of Qayrawān found bewildering—many of which are detailed in this text—they turned to the gaon, Tsemaḥ (Zemach) ben Ḥayim, to help clarify Eldad’s assertions and their relationship with their own traditions. Given the dearth of early sources about Eldad, both the query and the gaon’s response provide important historical data. It has been suggested that Eldad’s home community, whatever its true nature and wherever it was, preserved lost nonrabbinic traditions. See Eldad ha-Dani, On Ritual Slaughter.