I have no cover, and no couch, and no work to which I can resort. I am from a faraway place, namely Rahba (in Iraq). I have been here three months and none of our coreligionists has paid attention to me or fed me with a piece of bread. So I have turned to God the exalted and to my master to do for me what is appropriate for every wayfarer and give me as charity a little money to raise [my] spirits, for I am miserable and dying from hunger. Dogs get their fi ll these days with bread, but not I.
Suggested Discussion Questions:
1. How would you expect a Jewish community to treat a foreign Jew? How does this expectation differ from the narrator's experience?
2. Why are local communities inclined to shut out foreigners? How can we combat these inclinations?
3. Who has a similar narrative to this text in our society? How can we teach ourselves to see and care for the strangers among us?
Time Period: Medieval (Geonim through the 16th Century)