M.7 Reflect & Connect

Research question: What caused the downfall of the Almohads?


I have learned from the past unit that Maimonides and his family fled from Spain at a pivotal time: the Almohad invasion. The Almohads, coming from Morocco, captured Spain in order to reinstate power and purity there. They did this as a response to earlier Christian efforts to try to regain territory. This particular attempt at Christian reconquest was the retaking of Toledo in 1085- sixty-seven years prior to the Almohad invasion.

M4. Reflect & Connect

We have learned in this unit that poems are quite valuable, not only because of their deep and skillfully written words, but because they can reveal certain ideas or events in history that help uncover what life was like in the time that they were written. Poems are scrupulously written, each word carefully chosen and placed. This enables us to find many meanings and messages woven within them which we can interpret and use to discover the goings-on of their times. The poems discussed below were expertly written by the talented poet, Yehuda Halevi, and indicate some ideas of the state and development of both Islamic society as a whole and the Jews who lived within it.


Yehuda Halevi's "A Doe Far From Home" could be one of two things: a reflection of the Jews' lives in Spain in Halevi's time, or a sort of reassurance and encouragement to Jews who might be doubting their religion.
The words, "That graceful doe so far from her home" appear to be referring to the Jews as the graceful doe, who is far away from her home- Israel. Halevi proceeds to write that the doe "...is laughing although her beloved is angry. Her laughter's aimed at the daughters of Edom and Hagar- who long for him with envy." This could indicate that the other religions who populated Spain in Halevi's time: Christians, who are descendants of Edom, and Muslims, who come from Hagar, yearn for the Jews' "beloved". This term most likely refers to G-d, as the poem states that He is angry at the doe, or the Jews. This would make sense, considering He has just punished them for severely sinning to Him.
The poem continues, "How could desert asses compare to a doe who leaned once on her hart? Where are their prophecies? Where is their lamp? Where is His Presence above the Ark?" These verses could either be the arguments Jews at this time use against Muslims or Christians who challenge their religion, or it could be a proof to uncertain Jews that they truly are G-d's chosen nation. Halevi's use of rhetorical questions here is a skillful way to create a solid argument.
The last verse, which, unlike the rest of the poem, is written in first person, sends a powerful message. "Don't seek, my foes, to smother this love, whose flame your envy only fans." Writing this statement in first person makes it a lot more direct and strong. Halevi advises other nations, who might try to stifle the Jews' relationship with G-d out of envy, not to attempt this, as it will only cause the love between them to become stronger. He uses a clever analogy to relay this message, comparing this love to a flame which will only increase if others try to damage it, as a fire would if one fanned it.

The poem, "Heal Me, Lord" may sound somewhat liturgical, but it does provide some indications to the developments of society in Halevi's time. We see this when he writes, "All my balms and potions are yours to guide" and, "It isn't medicine on which I rely". These both show that Halevi must live in a time when there are scientific innovations and discoveries which lead to the development of medicine. However, he makes very clear that it is not the medicine that decides whether a person will recover or not, but G-d. He writes, "All my balms and potions are yours to guide to weakness or to vigor."
It is quite possible that in this time of amazing scientific discoveries, the Jews in Spain might have begun to forget that G-d is behind everything. At this time, when many people are being cured by new medicines, they might have overlooked the fact that the well-being of these people is not in humans' hands. This poem might have served as a reminder to them, a reality check, that medicine isn't the real cure; it all depends on G-d.
With the last verse, Halevi expresses his complete dependence on G-d, saying, "It isn't medicine on which I rely- I look instead toward your cure." He seems to be relaying the message of the words from the Torah, "...My power and the strength of my hand made me this wealth" (Deut 8:17). These are the words the Torah uses to express what a Jew would say if he forgot G-d and was too involved in worldly matters. Although the scientific breakthroughs at this time were very beneficial, they also likely caused some Jews to stray and not recognize G-d's hand in their lives. This poem was probably a helpful reminder to them about who was truly in charge.
The words, "Heal me, Lord, and I will be healed. Don't let me perish in your anger" could suggest that Halevi himself is sick and is recognizing that G-d is the only one who can truly help him recover and is therefore asking Him to be cured.
We see in this poem that Halevi refers to G-d using the term "you". This makes it more personal, direct, intimate. It makes it seem as if G-d is close by and that He is approachable. The shortness of the poem helps to make Halevi's point clear. It is straightforward and concise, sending a critical message to those who read it.

M2. Reflect & Connect

Drink, Don't Sleep reminds me of when my friends try to convince me to just relax and have fun. It's very tempting, but then my conscience brings me back to reality and makes me realize that I really shouldn't be doing this if I have work to do. The imagery of nature in this poem was beautifully constructed. It pulled me into its blissful, peaceful, carefree world. It was like paradise, until the jarring rebuke, which rigidly reprimanded the first speaker that this was not the way to live life as a Jew. Indulging in vain, unnecessary luxuries, especially at that time, would be foolish. They couldn't be celebrating in a time when they were exiles and should be mourning the loss of Jerusalem and the Beit Hamikdash. I believe that the tension here is not resolved. The poem ends with the scathing rebuke, admonishing the first speaker for even suggesting such a ridiculous proposition as this. We do not see what comes after, but can only hope that the one being rebuked did not give in to his desires.

The Cairo Genizah provided very useful information for historians about the women living at that time. Few other documents reveal the voice of women because of their position in the Islamic society. The only history recorded from the premodern period was of the elite, the wealthy men, people of a higher social class. The Cairo Genizah provides historians with many legal documents involving women which prove quite helpful in discovering their place and role in society.
It also holds just about any document, letter, essay, etc. that the Jews of Cairo ever owned, which reveal the truth about Jewish life under Islam. Again, the history recorded from the premodern period would likely not include much information about Jews or exactly how they were regarded and treated. The Cairo Genizah provides inside information and is an invaluable resource with regards to Jewish history under Islamic rule.
Although the Cairo Genizah is not in Spain, it is still relevant to our discussion about Spanish Jewry. Spain was the central place that other countries tried to emulate, so Jewish life in Cairo couldn't have been much different from that in Spain. Also, the Cairo Genizah probably holds letters and other documents from Jews in Spain which could help uncover what life was like for Spanish Jews.

In this module, I have learned about the great and beautiful cities of Baghdad and Cordoba, where scholars flocked to study and make discoveries in science and philosophy. These places helped Muslims thrive and grow in many areas, including engineering, nature, and the human body, way before many other countries. I also learned about Dunash ben Labrat, a Hebrew poet born in Morocco who traveled to study in Baghdad under the great Sa'adia Gaon. He was a unique poet in that he opened up a whole new genre of Hebrew poetry, infused with Arabic style. His poems included a wide variety of subjects, secular and religious. I read his poem, Drink, Don't Sleep, and was intrigued by its beautiful imagery and meaning. His wife wrote a poem, Will Her Love Remember?, which I analyzed and read information pulled from it. I learned about the role of women in the premodern period, although this history was hard to come by. Luckily, the Cairo Genizah, which holds many Jewish documents, was full of legal documents involving women, which gave me an idea of what life was like for women at that time. Below is a picture of the Cairo Genizah, where said documents, letters, recipes, shopping lists, etc. were stowed away in the Ben Ezra synagogue in Cairo.

M1. Reflect and Connect

The life of Sephardim began in biblical times, when Jews were exiled to the Iberian Peninsula. When the Jews first arrived, they were under Roman control and were generally tolerated. Life in the Iberian Peninsula started out pleasantly. Starting in the fifth century, when the Roman Empire converted to Christianity, things started to go downhill, not only for the Jews, but for everyone living in that area. The economy declined and the empire became very disorderly. But because of the conversion, Jews were no longer treated well.
In 409, Spain was overrun by three German tribes. A few years later, another German tribe, the Visigoths, took over. The Visigoths practiced a different type of Christianity than the Romans did. Luckily, for the Jews, the new rulers found that it would be beneficial to tolerate the Jews. They were, however, concerned about Jews owning slaves, as this commonly resulted in proselytism. The reason for this was because of the Jewish laws about slaves, which state that slaves must be treated with respect and courteousness. Along with this, the Visigoths never truly created a coherent rulership, therefore causing an increase in anti-Jewish laws. The people under the Visigoths' rule were not united religiously, and in an attempt to remedy this, in 587, the king, King Reccared I, converted to Catholicism. Life for the Jews had taken a terrible turn, as active persecutions began. In 613, a decree was made that all Jews must convert, or face severe punishment, resulting in disaster for the Jews. A cycle began to form: after a particularly anti-Jewish king was dethroned, Jews who had fled to nearby countries would return and live in less severe conditions, until another persecutory king took over. By 680, conditions for the Jews were so bad that they staged a revolt, which ended up failing, causing even harsher measures to be applied to them.
A conspiracy within the Visigothic kingdom arose, weakening its rulership, and beginning in 711, Berbers easily conquered Spain. Within a few decades, Muslims were able to conquer the Persian Empire and a considerable part of Byzantium. This event prompted a large Jewish immigration to Adalusia. Under Islamic rule, the Jews were tolerated, but lived their lives under the conditions Muslims had set for them.

We see that there were a few types of Muslims going around, trying to conquer more land and get it under Islamic control, just like today. There are still Muslims attempting to conquer yet more land around the world so that it is under Islamic rule.

Here is a link to my timeline.