12 - Judah Halevi

Summary

As a historical figure, Judah Halevi (Abū l-Ḥ asan) (before 1075–1141) approaches iconic status in Jewish culture. Medieval Franco-German pietists, German Romantics, nineteenth-century Wissenschaft des Judentums historians, Zionist historiographers, modern Hebrew poets, and, more recently, critical scholars of Judaica all embrace Halevi as one of their own, seeing something of themselves in him and his work and occasionally reinventing Judah by projecting their own values onto him. One can scarcely identify another figure of the so-called Golden Age of Jewish culture in al-Andalus acclaimed in so many diverse quarters as the embodiment of literary artistry, sophisticated religious conviction, mystical piety, or protonationalist commitment – a clear testament to the enduring appeal of Halevi’s poetic and religious genius and to the ambiguity of his literary identity.

By all accounts, Halevi was a foundational figure in Andalusi-Jewish culture. A now famous personal letter written in 1130 and preserved in the Cairo Geniza testifies that canonical status was conferred on Halevi during his own lifetime. The correspondent refers to Halevi as “the quintessence and embodiment of our country”–meaning al-Andalus–“our glory and leader, the illustrious scholar and unique and perfect devotee” (Goitein, “Judaeo- Arabic Letters” 341, 343).