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.