Pe‘amim
Studies in Oriental Jewry
132
Arabic and Hebrew –
Languages and Cultures
Editor : Avriel Bar-Levav
Associate Editor : Michael Glatzer
Editorial Secretar y: Yair Adiel
Ben-Zvi Institute for the Study of Jewish
Communities in the East
Peamim 132.indb 1
1/24/13 10:15:48‭ ‬AM
.
In This Issue .
Amir Lerner.
Construction of ‘The Banquet and the Beast’s
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . V
Tracks’ Narrative: An Inquiry into Amalgamation
of Plots in Medieval Jewish and Arabic Literature. Yom Tov Assis.
. 9
On the Language and Script of the Jews of Spain
as an Expression of Their Religious and Cultural
Identity .
Daniella Talmon-Heller.
Yaara Perlman .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Reading the Qur ͗ an and Reading the Torah
in the Medieval Middle East – Comparative Notes . 117
ִ ַ
The Assassination of the Jewish Poetess A
͑ sma’
ַ
bint Marwan. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
149
. . . . . . . 171
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
Ehud Krinis.
The Arabic Background of the Kuzari .
.
Ben-Zvi prize 2012. .
Publication of a new electronic journal
by the Ben-Zvi Institute . Peamim 132.indb 3
57
.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 240
1/24/13 10:15:48‭ ‬AM
In This Issue
This issue of Pe`amim deals mainly with the
various facets of the presence of Arabic (and
other languages) in Medieval Jewish culture.
The opening article of the issue is by Amir Lerner
who analyzes the history of an ancient plot that
was absorbed into both old Jewish literature and
medieval Arabic literature.This plot is constructed
of two narrative elements, in the heart of both an
exceptional power of perception. Each element
has its own independent history within these
two literatures. Being so vast and relatively well
preserved, medieval Arabic literature may be
significant in understanding the general nature
of the plot, as well as its sometimes enigmatic
behavior in Jewish literature.
Dr. Amir Lerner teaches in the Department of
Arabic and Islamic Studies at Tel-Aviv University.
[email protected]
Yom Tov Assis, deals with languages and dialects
used by Jews, and in particular scholars and welleducated Jews, in the Iberian Peninsula under
Muslim and Christian rule. Script and language
expressed an important element in Jewish
identity and culture. The continued use of JudeoArabic for generations after the Reconquista
testifies to their belief that despite the change
of rule and the dominant language, they still
belonged culturally to the Arabic speaking Jewish
world. Like their ancestors in the Muslim period
they had no objection to the use of Arabic in
exegetical, philosophical and legal compositions.
On the contrary, in Christian Spain there was
hardly any use of the vernacular in writings of
In This Issue
Peamim 132.indb 5
V
1/24/13 10:15:48‭ ‬AM
a Jewish nature, and the Romance languages
were written in Hebrew script by Jews only in
private, communal and commercial documents,
and also in Bible translations and liturgical texts.
An interesting question that arises is whether
these works in Judeo-Romance (principally
Castilian and Aragonese, so-called aljamiado), are
the roots of Judezmo, the language of the exiles
from Spain and their descendants.
Prof. Yom Tov Assis is Professor Emeritus in the
Department of Jewish History at the Hebrew
University of Jerusalem and the Chairman of
the Ben-Zvi Institute for the Study of Jewish
Communities in the East.
[email protected]
The ceremonial and performative aspects
of the recitation of Scripture in the medieval
Middle East; their live, vocal presence in the
private and communal sphere, and the meaning
attributed to recitation are discussed in the
article by Daniella Talmon-Heller. Using a
comparative analysis, she shows that the Jewish
reading of the Torah and the Muslim recitation
ַ
of Qur ͗ an differed in timing, place and degree of
institutionalization. Jews and Muslims practiced
different cycles of reading, but shared a similar
belief in the antiquity of their cantillation
and in the potency of the correct, accurate,
pronunciation of the text. In both traditions,
passages from Scriptures are included in liturgy
(albeit to a different degree, and for different
purposes), and daily use is made of verses for
protection and blessing. In Islamic culture,
a preference for recitation from memory
VI
Peamim 132.indb 6
Pe a m i m 1 3 2 ( 2 0 1 2 )
1/24/13 10:15:48‭ ‬AM
developed early on, in contrast with a clear
preference for reading from a written text –
moreover, from a scroll written according
to precise regulations – in Jewish culture.
Over the centuries, the reading of the Torah
maintained its central status in the synagogue,
but lost its centrality as a text for study, and
its role in popular religiosity was taken over by
Psalms recitation. In Islam, the memorization
ַ
of Qur’an retained its prestige throughout the
generations, and its oral recitation remained a
central religious devotion for all.
Dr. Daniella Talmon-Heller chairs the
Department of Middle Eastern Studies at BenGurion University of the Negev.
[email protected]
The article by Yaara Perlman examines the
various accounts of the assassination of the
ַ
ַ
Jewish Arab poetess A
͑ ִ sma’ bint Marwan by one
of Muhammad’s companions. She belonged to a
tribal group in Medina that was hostile toward
Muhammad. After she wrote defamatory verses
against the prophet, in which she called for his
assassination, she was assassinated by one of
his supporters shortly after the battle of Badr.
The description of the assassination, which
includes some gruesome details, goes back to
a descendant of the assassin, and is clearly a
“family tradition.”
Yaara Perlman is an M.A. student in the
Department of Arabic Language and Literature
at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
[email protected]
In This Issue
Peamim 132.indb 7
VII
1/24/13 10:15:48‭ ‬AM
Ehud Krinis surveys in depth research on the
contacts of Judah Halevy with Arabic culture, as
reflected in his polemic work of theology “The
Book of Answer and Proof by the Humiliated
Religion” better know as the Kuzari. The purpose
of the article is to show that Judah Halevy’s
contacts with Arabic culture were especially
productive, that Arabic culture provided him
with a challenge that led him to prolific creativity.
His attitude towards it reflects not only imitation
but also critical and creative dimensions. Thanks
to these dimensions the author of the Kuzari was
able to extract concepts from various streams of
Arabic culture out of their original contexts, and
to integrate them into the processes that were
unique to his thought.
Dr. Ehud Krinis teaches in the Department of
Jewish Thought at Ben-Gurion University of the
Negev.
[email protected]
VIII
Peamim 132.indb 8
Pe a m i m 1 3 2 ( 2 0 1 2 )
1/24/13 10:15:48‭ ‬AM