Essay: The Schizoid Nature of Andalusian Jews

The Schizoid Nature of Andalusian Jews
There is no denying that during the Omayyad rule of Spain, that lasted from 711 to 1492 (Ashtor 6, xvi), Jews living in Al-Andalus, the name the moslems gave Spain, were thriving. Since the beginning of the Arab conquest, the Jews were given the privileged position of colonizers and all through their rule, the Jewish people enjoyed a favorable politic from the Moslems. A fact that caused Jews from all over the world to come and settle in Spain to enjoy the Four Freedoms the Jews were provided exclusively by the moslems. This was a very different attitude than what the Visigoths, the previous rulers of Spain, had towards Judaism. Under Visigoth rule, Jews were being severely prosecuted because of the kingdom´s policy to convert all Jews to Christianity (Visigothic Code 22).
During the rule of the Omayyads, Spain became a very important territory for Jews all over the world. While the center of religious life used to reside in Babylonia in the Middle East, according to celebrated historian Eliyahu Ashtor, in his book The Jews of Moslem Spain, Spain became a center of Judaism for Jewish people all around the world totally independent of the Babylonian academies. In his own words, he states that “as the religious center at the western edge of the Mediterranean basin rose to ever greater eminence, the old center in Babylonia faded away” (Ashtor 237). However, religious life was not the only aspect of Jewish life that was flourishing in Al-Andalus. Jewish life in Spain was also characterized by “their sound and diversified socioeconomic structure” (Ashtor 264). They were a strong people that took on many different occupations that led them to obtain a strong economic position in various subdivisions of the economy (Ashtor 265).  They also engaged in the secular sciences, without any of the restraints put upon them by their religious beliefs and they had a similar mode of life, outside of their religious boundaries, than that of their neighbors (Ashtor 262). How did the Jews of this area manage to prosper and take part in these very distinct, and some may say opposite, aspects of life? They had what Ashtor describes as a schizoid personality: while they were very pious and devoted to their religion they were avid of mundane pleasures of everyday life that they adopted from their moslem neighbors (Ashtor 261). Another, more colloquial, term for this behavior could be seen as a play on words of a famous phrase: “pray hard, play hard”. In other words, they saw no contradiction between behaving on two ends of the spectrum that will be able to satisfy both aspirations, religious and secular, in the hearts of the Jews. One can see examples of this schizoid personality both on a small scale, describing the life and behavior of recognized Jewish leader of this time period and area Hasdai Ibn Shaprut, and on a large scale, describing the lives of Jewish communities in tenth century Spain.
Ashtor describes Hasdai Ibn Shaprut as “an Andalusian courtier in every fiber of his being” and depicts him as well as a “Maecenas” to writers (Ashtor 242, 243). Ashtor also agrees with the Hebrew Authors of the Middle Ages that affirm that the efflorescence of Jewish Culture happened under the leadership of Shaprut (Ashtor 228). He spent many of his riches and envoys to acquire sacred texts that were to be used for the study of Torah and scholars who had extensive Torah knowledge that could come to Spain and serve as teachers to the Jewish community (Ashtor 228, 229). He was very charismatic, had calm speech and pleasant ways and was loved by all the Jewish people, who he served as Nasi, the Hebrew word for president of the Jewish community (Ashtor 162, 163). He was a very esteemed member of Calif Abdarrahman III´s court, as one of his most trusted advisors, and he devoted all his energies to serve him and his goals. By doing so, he also adopted many mannerisms and behaviors from the Arabs that constantly surrounded him and modeled his way of life around theirs (Ashtor 242).
The Jewish people who lived in Al-Andalus during that time were most definitely influenced by Hasdai’s behavior. They, as well, were influenced by the people who lived around them. Many Jews, among them Hasdai Ibn Shaprut, had poetry soirees. These were receptions where writers would read their original works and literary discussions took place. These evenings, however, where the result of acculturation: a phenomenon where Jews adopted a behavior from their Moslem neighbors. According to Ashtor, “among the Arabs there was a strong link between the cultivation of poetic muse and the study of the Arabic language…they took pride in their rich and developed tongue, and at receptions held in noble´s houses long discussions were had…”. This is a very clear example of one secular aspect of Jewish life in the tenth century. Ashtor also states that Jewish people committed adultery without hesitation and drank themselves into stupors constantly and since Christians and Moslems did this, they saw little to no problem with committing the acts (Ashtor 261), another factor that explains the nature of the schizoid character. Nonetheless, Jews were also very devoted to their religion. They would pray excessively, sometimes even into late hours of the night. During this period as well, Ashtor describes the new nature of Spanish academies as a very important piece in the flourishing culture of the Omayyad kingdom in Spain (Ashtor 241). The Jews also found themselves under the direction of the academy of Rabbi Moises b. Hanokh, which was described as a center of Torah in the highest degree. Replacing the previous religious center that used to be in the Middle East (Ashtor 237). Therefore, we can see how even though Jews enjoyed everyday inclinations they had adopted from their neighbors, th