Yefet ben Ali
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Yefet ben Ali lived during the 10th century, a native of Basra in the area of present-day Iraq. He is perhaps the foremost Karaite commenter of the "Golden Age of Karaism". His commentaries, which were written in Arabic, covered the entire Tanakh. They were accompanied by a very literal translation of the Hebrew text, which often violated the rules of Arabic grammar. These writings influenced the rabbinical sage Ibn Ezra, who quotes Yefet forty-two times in his commentary of the minor prophets.
He was also known for his expertise of Hebrew grammar, and for his polemics against Rabbinic Judaism, Islam, and Christianity. One of his comments about the Rabbanites, writing on his Arabic commentary on Isaiah, Yefet ben Ali digresses as follows: "This section refers to the people of the Diaspora and to the best among them as well. They are at present divided into four classes :
- The Exilarchs who pretend to be the possessors of knowledge;
- The common people who neither desire wisdom nor think about it; they know no more about religion than to go to the Synagogue from Sabbath to Shabbath and to say "Amen" and "shema Yisrael";
- The studious among the common people, whom the Exilarchs teach them the nonsense of the Talmud, and sorcery, instead of what might profit them;
- The "Maskilim" (Karaite teachers) who, endowed with the knowledge of the Torah, are generous with the dissemination of their wisdom, in return for which they accept no recompense).
Later in his life, he immigrated to Jerusalem, where he died.
