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Unorthodox Papers

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MON-SAT, MAY 12 - MAY 17

A centennial exhibit of the Cairo genizah discovery
sheds remarkable light on daily Jewish history.

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NECHEMIA MEYERS SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH NEWS

0

ur Orthodox ancestors of a
Material from the Cairo ge-
thousandyears ago were nizah has been an unbelievable
apt to be more flexible in treasure trove for those interest-
their Judaism than some ed in Jewish studies. It includes
contemporary Orthodox Jews," previously unknown documents,
says Dr. Stefen C. Reif, who heads as well as letters written and
research on material from the sigited by the giants of medieval
Cairo genizah at Cambridge Uni- Jewish philosophy such as Moses
versity.
ben Maimonides (the Rambam),
Dr. Reif is now on sabbatical poet Yehuda Halevi and Joseph
leave at the Hebrew University Karo, author of the Shulchan
in Jerusalem. While there, he and Aruch, or Code of Jewish Law.
his wife Shulie are helping the Is-
It also contains what might be
' rael Museum prepare a major ex- termed the first Dead Sea Scroll.
hibition of items
found in the genizah,
where worn out
copies of Jewish doc-
uments were stored.
The exhibition will
mark the 100th an-
niversary of this ma-
terial being brought
to Cambridge from
`-,Cairo's Ben Ezra
' Synagogue by Dr.
Solomon Schechter,
who went on to be-
come president of the Religious items are buried in a genizah, rather than
Conservative move- being destroyed.
ment's Jewish Theo-
logical Seminary.
For what Dr. Schechter called
Dr. Schechter found 140,000 Zadokite Work is an exact copy of
items in the Cairo genizah, some a treatise that was discovered 50
of which, Dr. Reif notes, "offer years later, among the scrolls.
\ - proof of the open-minded charac- This seems to indicate, says Dr.
' terof the rabbinate between the Reif, that the theology of the peo-
10th and 13th centuries."
ple of Qumran did not die with
On display at the Israel Muse- them, but went on to influence
um, for example, will be an 11th- Jews for many centuries there-
century document from Cairo after.
that lists a series of conditions
Genizah documents also reflect
that must be agreed to by a young some surprising changes in reli-
man before a young woman will gious attitudes. They show, for
agree to marry him. These in- example, that while Maimonides
N _ dude a commitment not to take
was a dedicated rationalist, his
/-• za servant girl as a concubine or to children and grandchildren em-
go out for a night on the town braced mysticism.
with his male pals without re-
As Dr. Reif sees it, the trea-
ceiving her specific permission. sures of the genizah deserve still
This contract, which had rab- greater attention, for they are
binical approval, "was quite rev- without parallel in the entire
olutionary at the time," Dr. Reif world. "Schechter's achievement
declares.
would only be matched," Dr. Reif
Also on display is material in- says, "if someone were to find vo-
dicating that Jewish scholars luminous archives of William the
‘,.._ were conversant with Muslim Conqueror in a London attic." ❑
,_ and Christian theology, and in
communication with adherents
' of other religions. This sometimes
resulted in conversions, as is re-
flected in another document that
During his stay in Jerusalem,
will be included in the exhibition.
Dr. Reif has also been consult-
It is a record of Jewish music in
ing with the Philatelic Service
the 12th century that was com-
of the Israel Postal Authority,
piled by Ovadia Hager (Ovadia
which will shortly issue a stamp
the convert), a former Norman
to mark the centenary of
\_ knight who was known, before his
Schechter's discovery. Appear-
/-• 'conversion to Judaism, as John
ing
at the same time will be an-
Oppidans.
other stamp featuring the Dead
Sea Scrolls, found five decades
Nechemia Meyers writes from
later. D

Stamp Too

Rehovot, Israel.

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