Hassday ibn Shaprut

Hassday was born in 915 in the city of Jaen in the east of Andalusia , in a family of wealthy merchants. His father, Yitzhak bin Ezra ibn Shaprut, became famous for building a synagogue in Cordoba and financially supporting the Torah students. From his youth, Khasdai showed a craving for languages: he knew, in addition to Hebrew , Arabic , Latin and Spanish spoken dialect - romance . After studying leading medical works, he became a medical practitioner in Cordoba. He discovered the lost secret of the miraculous medicine al-faruk, which was considered a panacea for many diseases. After that, the young medic was invited to the court.

His outstanding talents in languages ​​and good manners were in demand. Soon, from the court physician, Khasdai became the closest trusted adviser to Abd al-Rahman III , who in 929 adopted the title of Caliph . Khasday became actually the Minister of Finance (appointed head of the customs) and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. However, due to its origin, the vezir did not have an official title. After the death of the caliph in 961, he did not lose the favor of his son, caliph al-Hakam II, and continued to remain at court until his death. Apparently, he didn’t have a family. Nothing is known about his descendants. Hassday died in Cordoba in 970 .

Hassday was entrusted with the implementation of delicate diplomatic missions. In this field, he proved himself to be an exceptionally talented politician.

In 949 he received the Byzantine Embassy from Emperor Constantine VII . Among the gifts delivered by the embassy was the unique medical tract of Dioscorides (1st century AD). Hassdai, together with the Greek monk Nikolai, completely translated it into Arabic. In 956, he met the embassy of King Otto I of Germany . On the German side, the mission was led by the abbot of the Benedictine monastery Johann. The letter intended for the caliph was too harsh, and Hassday convinced Johann to send for a new letter. Therefore, the embassy had to spend as much as three years in Spain. Upon returning home, Johann wrote in his memoirs that "he never met a man as wise and penetrating as this Jew." In 958, Hasdai himself went with the embassy to Navarra . There he managed to conclude a peace treaty beneficial for the caliphate, which led to a split among the Christian states of Spain. At the same time, he cured King Leon Sancho I , who was in exile at the court of al-Hakam II, from excessive obesity.

Hassday always remembered his origin. He used a high position for faithful help to co-religionists. In Spain, he supported Jewish academies, helped them in the acquisition of valuable texts of the Talmud . He also provided personal support to scientists and their students, poets and writers. He surrounded himself with grammars and writers, such as Moses bin Hanoch , poet Dunash bin Labrath and others. Grammar Menachem ibn Saruk was the personal secretary of Hasday. Thanks to these efforts, a golden age has come for Jewish culture in Spain. While the traditional center in Mesopotamia was gradually declining.

He contacted the Jewish communities of Palestine and Babylonia , exchanged letters with the son of Saadia Gaon , Rabbi Losa. At the same time, he weakened the connection of Spanish Jewry with Babylon. Hassday received from the hands of the caliph the title of Nasi , which made him the head of all the Jewish communities of the country. His protégé, Moses ben Hanoch, Hassday appointed the chief rabbi of Cordoba .

Hassday made a lot of efforts to alleviate the situation of his fellow tribesmen in other countries. Fragments of his letters to various rulers and Jewish hierarchs are known. When another persecution of Jews began in Byzantium , he wrote a letter to the Empress Helen, where he recalled that he was defending the Caliph of Andalusian Christians, and in response asked to improve the situation of Jews in Byzantium.

He corresponded with the Jews of southern Italy. A letter to Hasday from Rabbi Judah Ben Jacob of Rome is known. The letter reports on the persecution of Jews in southern Italy (at that time Byzantine). Hasdai's envoy, Mar Samuel , visited Italy. In addition to a purely reconnaissance mission, he spent 9 months on the island of Lipara , where he copied for the patron the famous Jewish chronograph, the book of Josippon .

Khasdai was appealed by Provencal Jews for help. They felt that such a powerful dignitary would not be difficult to cancel the humiliating service existing in Toulouse . Every year, the Jews of this city were obliged to deliver 30 liters of wax to the bishop for Easter, and then the envoy received a ritual blow from the bishop's neck. Hassday sent three of his ambassadors to Provence (Mar Samuel, Mar Joseph and Mar Judah), but the anti-Jewish custom could not be canceled.

Talking to the merchants from Khorasan , Khasday learned that somewhere in the east there is a Jewish state called Khazaria . Since the Jews had neither their own state, nor their own land, this news was extremely overwhelming. More detailed information was received from the Byzantine merchants, who confirmed to the doubting Hassday that the Khazar kingdom really exists and reported that the reigning Khazar ruler is called Joseph. Then Khasdai wrote a letter to him. In the message, he expressed admiration for the existence of the Jewish state, noting that this message instilled joy and hope in the hearts of all Jews, told about himself, his status about the country and the situation of Jews in it. He further asked Joseph to tell about the history, geography and political structure of his power. In the end, he asked when the “end of miracles” would come - the deliverance of the Jewish people.

The letter was written between 954 and 961 years . First, Hassday sent him with his servant Isaac bin Nathan to Constantinople , but the Byzantine emperor refused to let the ambassadors through his territory. Then the letter was delivered by Jewish merchants in a circuitous way through Hungary , Russia and Bulgaria . The Khazar ruler received it and wrote a response message. Copies of both monuments have survived to this day. A fragment of a private report compiled for Khasdai by one court Khazar Jew is also known. These letters have unique historical value, as these are the only known documents of the Khazar proper.

In his letter, Khasdai wrote that he was ready to leave his dignity and personally visit the place where the Israeli diaspora is not subjected to persecution. It is not known whether he realized this intention. He could hardly break away from public affairs for such a long time. However, a contemporary Khasdai of the Arab geographer Ibn Haukal has a reference to a certain Hasday ibn Ishaq, who visited Khazaria and neighboring countries and met with local kings.

• Kokovtsov P.K. Jewish-Khazar correspondence of the 10th century . - L., 1932
• Golb N., Pritsak O. Khazar-Jewish documents of the 10th century - M.-Jerusalem, 2000. ISBN 5-93273-126-5
• Mann J. Hasdai ibn Shafrut and his diplomatic intervention on behalf of the Jews on Christian Europe. Text and Studies in Jewish History and Literature. Cincinnati 1931 V] • Philadelphia, 1935. V. 2.

• Rabbi Hassday ibn Shaprut (Russian) . Date of treatment March 8, 2009. Archived August 24, 2011.
• Ibn Shaprut Hasday in the Electronic Jewish Encyclopedia (Russian) . Date of treatment March 8, 2009. Archived August 24, 2011.
• Jews in Islamic Spain. Hassday ibn Shaprut (915-970) (Russian) . Date of treatment March 8, 2009. Archived August 24, 2011.
• A letter from Menachem ibn Saruk to Hasday ibn Shaprut (Russian) . Date of treatment March 8, 2009. Archived August 24, 2011.
• History of Mountain Jews (Russian) (inaccessible link - history ) . Date of treatment March 8, 2009.