Thread by @Immort4l_Legacy

Rabbi Natan’el al-Fayyumi
THREAD:

Natan’el lived in Sana’a in the mid 12th century during a time which was very difficult for Jews in that region due to the rise of Shia Ismailism. He was the spiritual authority of the Jewish communities in Yemen and helped strengthen them.

He is the author of “Gan HaSikhlim” (garden of the intellects) which is sometimes considered the Jewish version of Ismaili doctrines. In it he raises essential questions about existence and tries to provide answers.

Natan'el argued, among other things, that Hashem sent different prophets to the various nations of the world, containing legislations suited to the particular temperament of each individual nation.

There are 7 chapters in the book that discuss subjects such as: the uniqueness of Hashem, the essence of mankind as the selected creation, worshiping Hashem, the virtue of cleansing, the gate of security in Hashem, the days of the Messiah and the eternity of the Torah etc.

Rabbi Fayyumi would regularly debate with Muslim scholars which reflected on his knowledge of other beliefs and schools of thought. A common claim at the time was that the Torah had been changed throughout the years. Fayyumi would use verses from the Quran to disprove them.

After his death around 1165 CE, his son Rabbi Yaakov Fayyumi took his position as leader of the Jewish communities in Yemen. He followed in his fathers footsteps of gathering the community spiritually and standing up against the decrees against them such as forceful conversion.

The results were of partial success. Some of the community members did not resist the pressure and they converted to Islam. Some of them even served as a spearhead in the attempt to convert their own people.

Rabbi Yaakov Fayyumi felt the need to consult the most respected figure in the Jewish world at that time, Maimonides. Maimonides sent a letter to Rabbi Yaakov Fayyumi which was known in the years to come as Igeret Teiman (Epistle to Yemen).

In the letter, Maimonides gives an answer to the questions and the concerns that were raised regarding Judaism and the question about its eternity; he also dismisses the phenomena of false messiahs.

You can find an English translation of the letter here: en.m.wikisource.org/wiki/Epistle_t…

Much of what occurred to the Jewish community during that period in Yemen would likely have remained a mystery had it not been for the Cairo Geniza. Remember that during the Mawza Exile many books and documents of the Jewish communities in Yemen were destroyed.

For more information on the Cairo Geniza and references to Yemen this video is a great summary:

Photos of the manuscript of “Gan HaSikhlim” (Garden of Intellects) are from the National Library of Israel.