A Visit to the Home of Maimonides
Letter from Cairo Geniza, 12th century. The letter is currently stored at the Cambridge University Library, in the Taylor-Schechter Cairo Genizah Collection.
In one of the more fascinating writings of the Cairo Genizah related to Maimonides, a Jewish man tells of a meeting that took place in Maimonides' home many years earlier. At the time, the writer was asked to pass a private correspondence to Maimonides, which he believed would take only a few minutes.
To his surprise, the messenger was invited to Maimonides’ room together with his son Algalal. Maimonides opened the letter, read it, and even asked his opinion. Abraham, Maimonides’ son, was also present in the room. Maimonides sought to expose him to the business of public leadership from a young age in order to prepare him for the future.
While the adults were talking business, the two boys had a funny conversation between them. Abraham taught Algalal one of his father's illustrious references. A good spirit prevailed over the entire meeting and Maimonides, who listened to the boys' conversation, was greatly entertained with Algalal.
Maimonides did not grant a public position to his son, but his investment paid off. After his death, Abraham stepped into the position of leadership that Maimonides had held in his life and became an important thinker and great Halakhic authority in his own right.
