Decision of Judge Yahya b. Muhammad b. Abbas Regarding a Dispute Within the Jewish Community of Sanaa (1914)

This document is an authenticated copy of a court decision from Rabi I 1358 (June/July 1939). The original decision was issued on 13 Rabiah II, 1332 (March 10, 1914) by Yahya b. Muhammad b. Abbas. The decision describes a controversy in the Jewish community of Sanaa and the enforcement of the Pact of Umar on the community. The controversy revolved around a group of Jews that had rejected the teaching of a Jewish mystical text, the Zohar. The document describes that the Imam (Yahya Muhammad Hamid al-Din) brought the controversy to court. The judge rules to allow the Zohar to be taught and institutes a number of orders to maintain the peace and the status quo in the community. The judge also issues several other orders related to the Jewish community, including orders regulating the appearance of Jewish men and women, and a process for resolving potentially new (and therefore illegal) synagogues.

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