{{short description|Hebrew term meaning a prince or leader}} '''Nagid''' ({{langx|he|נגיד}} {{IPA|he|naˈgid|pron}}) is a Hebrew term meaning a prince or leader. This title was often applied to the religious leader in Sephardic communities of the Middle Ages. In Egypt, the Jewish ''Nagid'' was appointed over all the Jews living under the dominion of the king of Egypt; he was invested with all the power of a king and could punish and imprison those who acted in opposition to his decrees; his duty was also to appoint the ''dayyanim'' (judges of the rabbinic court) in every city.<ref>''Jewish Travellers'' (ed. Elkan Nathan Adler), chapter: Obadiah da Bertinoro, London 1930, p. 229</ref>
According to Muslim scholars, the role of the ''Nagid'' (or ''Ra’īs'') was to represent the Rabbanite majority, but also to represent the minority groups of the Karaites and Samaritans as well. Accordingly, his function was to "join the Jews together and to prevent their separation," mainly by serving them as legal authority in accordance with their laws and customs.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Goitein |first=S.D. |author-link=Shelomo Dov Goitein |title=The Title and Office of the Nagid: a Re-examination|journal= The Jewish Quarterly Review|volume=53 |issue= 2|pages=98|date=1962|doi=10.2307/1453279 |jstor=1453279 }}</ref>
In Arab countries, the {{Lang|ar|Shaykh al-Yahud}} ({{Lang|ar|شيخ اليهود}} 'sheikh of the Jews') was a Jewish community leader who would act as a liaison between Jewish communities and Muslim authorities, as in Fes before French colonization.<ref name="Le Tourneau 1949">{{Cite book |last=Le Tourneau |first=Roger |title=Fès avant le protectorat : étude économique et sociale d'une ville de l'occident musulman |publisher=Société Marocaine de Librairie et d'Édition |year=1949 |location=Casablanca}}</ref>
Among the individuals bearing this title are the following (Dates refer to lifespan, not when this title was held.): * Samuel ibn Naghrillah (Shmuel Ha-Naggid), {{CE|993-1056}} * Sa'adya ben Mevorakh, 999-? * David ben Daniel, {{fl|1078-1094}} * Joseph ibn Naghrela (Yosef Ha-Naggid), 1035-1066 * Yehudah "Judah" ben Sa'adya, 1020-1080 * Abū 'l-Faḍl Mevorakh ben Saʿadya, 1040-1111 * Nethan'el ben Mevorakh, 1098-{{circa|1160}} * {{ill|Moses ben Mevorakh|qid=Q114692045}}, {{fl|1110-c.1141}} * {{ill|Nethanel ben Moses Ha-Levi|qid=Q114691864}}, {{fl|1160-1170}} * Sar Shalom ben Moses, ?-1204 * Maimonides, 1138-1204 * Abraham ben Moses ben Maimon, 1186-1237 * {{ill|David HaNagid|he|דוד הנגיד}}, 1222-1300 * {{ill|Avraham HaNagid|qid=Q62020349}}, c. 1246–c. 1316 * Yehoshua Hanagid, 1310-1355 * {{ill|David ben Joshua Maimuni|he|דוד הנגיד (השני)}}, 1335?-1415?
==See also== *Exilarch *Nasi (Hebrew title) *Hakham Bashi *Chief Rabbi
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *[http://jewishencyclopedia.com/view.jsp?artid=67&letter=E#215 Jewish Encyclopedia: Gaon and Nagid]
Category:Hebrew words and phrases Category:Orthodox rabbinic roles and titles Category:Sephardi Jews topics Category:Jewish leadership roles
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