The People in the Books: Hebraica and Judaica Manuscripts from Columbia University Libraries

Karaites > The written tradition

 

FIRKOWITSCH, ABRAHAM (1786-1874).
Igeret Naḥash ʻakalton le-ahuvo Mosheh Penpolov.
Manuscript in Hebrew on paper.
1860.
MS X893 H26
Rare Book and Manuscript Library

Karaites prided themselves on their adherence to the Written Law, or the sacred texts of the Bible, in exclusion to the Oral Law (primarily viewed as the rabbinic works of the Mishna and the Talmud).  In this letter from Abraham Firkowitsch, the Karaite leader condemns those who wanted to calculate the months using formulaic methods (as the Rabbinic Jews do) rather than by observing the cycles of the moon.




 

Igeret Naḥash ʻaḳalton: First page of text

 

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