Composite manuscript: Hebrew letters to the Jewish court of Paris by Pinchas Michael Abdallah (Gaster Hebrew MS 1207)

other nations, calling them kedeshah, while she is a concubine, the most severe in the Torah. And understand God and His Torah, and understand also the honor of all those who keep concubines, first of all, our father Abraham. Our intention is for all who keep concubines, written in the Torah, portion of Toledot Generations, chapter 25, verse 6: "But unto the sons of the concubines, which Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts, and sent them away from Isaac his son, while he yet lived," etc. And all those who kept concubines mentioned in the entire Bible have understanding from their concubines, guidance from them, complete proof. Both before the giving of the Torah and after the giving of the Torah, any man who secludes himself with a woman on the condition so as not to establish seed from her is certainly considered [so], and there is no need to understand all those who keep concubines by their names without need. And anyone who does not believe, or is in doubt, saying that there is some concubine-holder without a concubine—behold, the Bible is before him. And also the concubine mentioned in the Book of Judges, chapter 19, lived as a kedeshah according to the opinion of the Oral Torah. And it is written: "And it came to pass in those days," etc., "and he took unto him a concubine," etc. And behold, the text testifies about him that he took her as a wife. And verse 2: "And his concubine played the harlot against him, and went away from him unto her father's house," etc. The interpretation of "played the harlot" is to say that she was angry at him, left him, and went to her father's house. And proof is from verse 4, [where] it is written: "And his father-in-law, the damsel's father, retained him," etc. And if the concubine were in the way of a kedeshah, he would not write the name of his father-in-law, the father of the damsel. And so it is written in the Torah, in the portion of Kedoshim Holy Ones, chapter 19, verse 29: "Do not profane your daughter, to make her a harlot," etc. And if you say [based on] the text that says "And his concubine played the harlot against him," etc., she was his wife in the way of all the land, and she truly played the harlot—one must answer: why did it not write "and she played the harlot under him," as it is written in the portion of Naso Take, chapter 5, verse 13: "And if a woman goes astray and plays the harlot against her husband," etc.? And further, how [could it be] that she played the harlot and she is forbidden to him? And the great war that Israel fought