Nahray b. Nissim

Description / Bio

Abū Yaḥyā Nahray b. Nissim (ca. 1025–98) was a North African merchant and communal leader. More than 350 letters, notes, and accounts from the Cairo Geniza are either addressed to him or written in his hand, comprising one of the largest corpora of documentary sources from the Geniza concerning a single individual. Born around 1025 and descended from a leader (nagid) of the Qayrawān community, Nahray migrated to Egypt around 1040, where he entered the patronage of his relative Barhūn b. Isḥaq al-Tahartī. At the center of a network of traders plying the Mediterranean in the eleventh century, Nahray was trusted and respected for his ability to determine the market value of commodities. He lived briefly in Alexandria, the center of flax commerce, but eventually settled in Fustat, though he regularly traveled throughout North Africa and visited Palestine at least once. Having studied at the Qayrawan academy of Nissim b. Ya`aqov, Nahray was learned in rabbinic literature; he acted as a professional jurisconsult in Fustat and responded to queries from throughout North Africa. He also maintained ties to the Jerusalem academy and received two honorary titles from it. Nahray headed the Iraqi congregation in Fustat and for a time, also managed the affairs of the Palestinian synagogue. He supported the Palestinian nasi David b. Daniel in his conflict with Mevorakh b. Sa'adya between 1082 and 1094, but supported the latter upon his restoration to the headship. In addition, Nahray interacted with officials of the Fāṭimid caliphate on behalf of members of the Rabbanite community and was a generous patron to the needy, ensuring that funds were paid to the heirs of those who had died in international commerce and acting as an agent for orphans. He also raised funds to redeem captives, in one case mobilizing the community to free Jewish merchants held by Byzantine forces in Amalfi. (Information mainly from Phillip Ackerman-Lieberman, "Nahray ben Nissim" in Encyclopedia of Jews in the Islamic World)