Returned to lender The Met accepts temporary loans of art both for short-term exhibitions and for long-term display in its galleries.
Letter from Judah ha-Levi
Not on view
Judah ha-Levi, erudito, poeta, médico y líder de la comunidad judía de Toledo a principios del siglo XII, veía España como un lugar de exilio, y no una patria, para los miembros de la diáspora judía. Posteriormente, abandonó España y viajó a Tierra Santa. Durante un alto en Alejandría, escribió a un amigo esta carta sobre su viaje. El deseo de Ha-Levi de marcharse de España presenta un marcado contraste con los numerosos residentes y gobernantes españoles que luchaban por el territorio a lo largo de la Península Ibérica.
A scholar, poet, physician, and leader of the Toledo Jewish community in the early twelfth century, Judah ha-Levi regarded Spain as a place of exile for members of the Jewish diaspora, rather than a homeland. Later in life, he left Spain and traveled to the Holy Land. Stopping in Alexandria, he wrote this letter to a friend about his journey. Ha-Levi’s desire to leave Spain presents a powerful contrast to the fervor of the many Spanish residents and rulers who were battling for land throughout the Iberian Peninsula.