Maimonides and the Historical Struggle for Jewish Leadership

About a thousand years ago, the Fatimid Caliph, Abu Tamim al-Mu'izz, who ruled Egypt, married an Abbasid princess from Babylon. She noticed the caliph's many dealings with the Jews — tax collections, handling complaints, and more — and advised him: 'In my country, Babylon, there is a man called the "Head of the Exile." The king speaks with no one else, and he is responsible for all Jewish affairs. You should appoint a "Head of the Exile" in Egypt too; it will save you a lot of time.'

The caliph heeded her advice and appointed Rabbi Paltiel the Physician as "Ra'is al-Yahud," or Head of the Jews, whom the Jews called "the Nagid." This role continued in Egypt for about five hundred years. The Nagid had supreme responsibility over the Jews, including the Karaites and Samaritans, as well as the Jews of the Land of Israel. Every matter, big or small, went through him. Some Nagids were even heads of the great Yeshiva in Cairo, with the authority to appoint judges, and more.

A few decades before Maimonides arrived in Egypt, the Nagid was Rabbi Mevorch ben Saadia, a firm leader who established many ordinances. Every divorce and marriage document had to include a sentence stating they were conducted under his consent. Rabbi David, the Gaon of the Land of Israel, opposed him, left his position for a time, but eventually returned. Rabbi Mevorch was the king's physician, and so was his son, who inherited his position. After him, the position was held by Rabbi Samuel ben Hanania, known to the Arabs as "Abu Mansur the Physician."

Rabbi Samuel ben Hanania was beloved by the Caliph al-Hafiz. Once, the caliph summoned Rabbi Samuel and commanded him to prepare poison, for he wanted to eliminate one of his sons. Rabbi Samuel replied, 'Please, my lord, I will do anything for you, but I will not prepare poison to kill your son.' The caliph called another doctor, a Muslim, and instructed him to do it. The son was poisoned and died. The caliph later regretted his decision and was furious with the Muslim doctor who listened to him... but he elevated Rabbi Samuel to the position of Nagid.

The fame of Rabbi Samuel ben Hanania spread, and the wise poet Rabbi Judah Halevi from Spain came to visit him to learn Torah and wisdom from him and wrote several famous poems in his honor.

This idyll was disrupted in 1171 when Saladin conquered Egypt. A Jewish official named Zuta made his way to the conqueror's palace and "explained" that Samuel ben Hanania was not at all loyal and was concealing treasures for which he did not pay taxes. Zuta graciously offered to take the position of Head of the Jews, promising to raise the taxes. Saladin, unfamiliar with the inner workings of the Jewish community, agreed to the appointment. Thus, to the community's disgrace, the wise elder Rabbi Samuel ben Hanania was removed from office, and Mr. Zuta became Ra'is al-Yahud...

Very quickly, Saladin realized, through all the officials in Egypt, that he had made an embarrassing mistake and that the accusations against Rabbi Samuel ben Hanania were baseless. Within weeks, Zuta was dismissed, and Rabbi Samuel ben Hanania returned to his seat.

A few years later, Rabbi Samuel passed away, and Zuta returned to claim the position for himself. This time, he succeeded after offering a large sum of money. He called himself "Sar Shalom." It must be admitted that the name "Zuta" reflects poorly on his character. Zuta ruled tyrannically over the community and increased taxes, for which he was chosen by the authorities. The Jewish community of Cairo suffered under the tyranny of an official who had seized a post traditionally held by scholars and the great leaders of the generation.

When Maimonides arrived in Cairo as the physician to the vizier, he came to the aid of the Jews of Egypt. Maimonides, highly esteemed by Jews, Muslims, and Christians alike, managed to convince the vizier that Zuta was unworthy of the position and that it was meant for spiritual leaders unparalleled by others. Zuta was indeed removed from his post, and the Jews of Cairo wrote a scroll named "Megillat Zuta," detailing the events.

The position of Nagid was offered to Maimonides, but in his integrity, he refused to take it for himself, so it wouldn't appear that he deposed Zuta to gain the position. Throughout his life, the position of Nagid remained unoccupied, although in practice, he was indeed the greatest of his generation, and everything was done according to his decisions.

After Maimonides passed away, his son, Rabbi Abraham, was appointed Nagid, and for two hundred years, the Nagid position remained within Maimonides' descendants: Rabbi Hananel, Rabbi David Maimuni, Rabbi Abraham Maimuni, and Rabbi Joshua Maimuni. Rabbi David Maimuni II was the last Nagid from Maimonides' lineage, the great-grandson of the great eagle. Rabbi David's sons passed away in his lifetime, thus ending the Nagid era of Maimonides' descendants.