Maimonides and the Zuta Scroll: The Historical Struggle for Leadership of the Jewish Community

About a thousand years ago, the Fatimid caliph, Abu Tamim al-Muizz, who ruled Egypt, married an Abbasid princess from Babylon. The princess noticed the caliph's extensive dealings with the Jews—including collecting taxes, handling complaints, etc.—and told him: In my homeland, Babylon, there is a person called the "Rosh ha-Golah" ('Head of the Exile'). The king speaks with no one except him, and he is responsible for all Jewish matters. Appoint a "Rosh ha-Golah" in Egypt too, and save much time.

The caliph took her advice and appointed Rabbi Paltiel the physician as the "Rais al-Yehud," or head of the Jews, while the Jews called him "the Nagid" ('Leader'). The position of Nagid continued in Egypt for about five hundred years. The Nagid was the supreme leader of the Jews, including the Karaites and Samaritans, and also over the Jews of the Land of Israel. All matters, large or small, were handled through him. Some of the Nagids were heads of the great yeshiva in Cairo, with authority to appoint judges, and more.

Several decades before Maimonides' arrival in Egypt, the Nagid was Rabbi Mevurach Ben Saadia. He was very assertive and instituted many regulations. In every divorce and ketubah, a statement had to be added indicating they were made according to the Nagid's opinion. Rabbi David, Gaon of the Land of Israel, opposed him. He left his position for a while and eventually returned to it. Rabbi Mevurach was the king's physician, as was his son, who inherited his position. After him, Rabbi Samuel Ben Hananiah, known among the Arabs as "Abu Mansur the physician," held the position.

Rabbi Samuel Ben Hananiah was beloved by the Caliph al-Hafiz. Once, the caliph summoned Rabbi Samuel and ordered him to prepare poison, as he intended to poison 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 physician, a Muslim, and ordered him to do so. The son was poisoned and died. Later, the caliph regretted and was angry with the Muslim physician who obeyed him... while Rabbi Samuel was elevated to the position of Nagid.

The fame of Rabbi Samuel Ben Hananiah grew, and the sage poet Rabbi Yehuda Halevi from Spain visited him to learn Torah and wisdom from him. He also wrote several famous poems in his honor.

This idyllic situation was disrupted when, in 1171, Salah al-Din conquered Egypt. A Jewish functionary named Zuta rushed to the great conqueror's palace and "explained" to him that Samuel Ben Hananiah was not loyal to him at all, and that he also hid treasures for which he did not pay taxes. He, Zuta, offered his kindness to assume the position of Nagid of the Jews, and in return, he would ensure an increase in the tax amount. Salah al-Din, unaware of the goings-on in the Jewish community, agreed to the appointment, and thus, to great disgrace, the wise elder Rabbi Samuel Ben Hananiah was removed from his position, and Master Zuta became the "Rais al-Yehud"...

Very soon, Salah al-Din understood from all officials in Egypt that he had made an embarrassing mistake and that the accusations against Rabbi Samuel Ben Hananiah were baseless. After a few weeks, Zuta was dismissed from his position, and Rabbi Samuel Ben Hananiah 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 acknowledged that the name "Zuta" fairly reflects the nature of its owner and is not flattering at all... Zuta acted tyrannically towards the community members and raised taxes, which is why he was chosen by the authorities. The Jews of Cairo groaned under the burden of the opportunist who took over the position, which had previously been the domain of sages and great leaders.

When Maimonides arrived in Cairo as the vizier's physician, he came to the aid of Egyptian Jews. Maimonides, who was highly regarded by all nations of the world, both Jews, Muslims, and Christians, managed to convince the vizier that Zuta was unworthy of the position, which was meant for esteemed spiritual leaders. Indeed, Zuta was dismissed from his position, and the Jews of Cairo wrote a scroll called "the Zuta Scroll," describing the events.

The position of Nagid was offered to Maimonides, but he, in his integrity, did not agree to take the position for himself, so it would not appear as though he ousted Zuta to secure a position for himself. Throughout Maimonides' lifetime, the position of Nagid remained vacant, although, in practice, he was, of course, the greatest leader, and everything was done according to his guidance.

After Maimonides' passing, his son, Rabbi Abraham, was appointed as Nagid, and for two hundred years, the Nagidship passed among Maimonides' descendants: Rabbi Hananel, Rabbi David Maimonides, Rabbi Abraham Maimonides, Rabbi Joshua Maimonides. Rabbi David Maimonides II was the last Nagid from the seed of Maimonides, the great eagle's great-great-grandson. The sons of Rabbi David died during his life, thus ending the Nagidship of Maimonides' descendants.