Letter: T-S Misc.35.11

Rustow, Heresy, pp. 209-14, with minor emendations by Daniel Wagman

1. [...] Many of the common folk were provoking a quarrel. On [the day of]

2. Hoshana [Rabba], they ascended the Mount of Olives according to their custom, and the defamers

3. were saying to the people, ‘The Qaraites have bribed this man so that

4. the ban [against the eaters] of meat with milk will not be pronounced, and they say that he has assured them he will not. Now, tell

5. him not to alter our tradition, and if he refuses [to comply], do not listen to him, and gather against him

6. together.’ After the sermon, I was saying sweet words to the people for the sake of

7. the contributions to be tossed onto the cloak. But lo and behold, only a few people were making donations!

8. These were the ones who had come in order to pray. The majority of those who had ascended the mountain had done so for the sake of the slander of the

9. defamers and were talking insolently, gloating, and being impudent. They were telling

10. me, ‘You say in your sermons, ‘I accept rabbinic tradition as the rest of you.’ Just as you have received

11. the commandments and the customs, do not alter the custom of our forefathers. For if you alter it, everyone

12. will follow and there will be Qaraites saying things that aren’t true!’ When I saw that no one

13. was listening or paying attention, I stood on the [cantors’] chair and said, ‘It is your choice.

14. Do as you wish.’ Our Third Rabbi, may his Rock preserve him, was also speaking

15. in their ears, saying, ‘It is not a commandment that you should fight over it! Why should we concern ourselves with this dispute?!’

16. They did not listen to him, and the people’s quarrel on the mountain increased greatly. The elders [of the synagogue] came with

17. the governor of the city and said, ‘Please rise and announce the order of the festivals of the Lord.’

18. I stood up and announced [the calendar], as is the custom. They [the defamers] cried: ‘Declare the ban!’ I told them, ‘I have already said that

19. I shall not declare it!’ The two brothers, ḥaverim [of the yeshiva], may God keep them, stood up—my son was with them—

20. and they declared it. But they [only?] appeased the crowd with their words: it [only] seemed to them that they had mentioned ‘meat

21. with milk.’ Then, they [the three young men] descended the mountain. I had not yet reached my house when there came soldiers of

22. the governor of Palestine, [al-Duzbarī,] known as Mu‘tazz al-Dawla, may God preserve him [...]