MANY Jewish commumt1es in the Crown of Aragon, like other medieval communities, appointed a number of salaried functionaries to perform certain works inside the Jewish quarter. The number of functionaries in any one field, and the number of fields covered by communal workers, varied from one community to another, depending primarily on the community's size and wealth. In some communities certain functions were performed free by members. The appointment of functionaries became over the course of time part of the tradition of Jewish self-government in the Crown of Aragon. The king, favouring stability in the Jewish community, gave his support to the orderly appointment of the community functionaries.

According to R. Abraham hen Shelomo ibn Tazrat, R. Shelomo hen Adret's disciple, most communities in the Crown of Aragon appointed a scribe, a slaughterer, a teacher, a hazan, a mohel, and a physician, among others. We may reasonably assume that Tazrat meant the larger communities, and even in these, it is doubtful if all the positions existed in every case. Tazrat must have generalized.

THE COMMUNITY SCRIBE OR SOFER

All official Hebrew documents had to be prepared by an expert scribe. The sofer or scrivano dela aljama was appointed by the leaders of the community or a special board of electors. The non-Jewish authorities considered him a Jewish notary and referred to him thus. The incumbent was usually one of the most learned members of the community, as the post demanded a thorough knowledge of Hebrew, a fair knowledge of Jewish jurisprudence, and a good calligraphy. The evidence shows that in large communities there was more than one scribe at the time. As the scribe received his fees from the people who needed the documents, the post was very much in demand. The competition between rival candidates and the prospect of some gain for the royal coffers explain the special interest of the king in the post.

The king was particularly interested in the post of scribe in large communities, where he would often go as far as appointing his own candidate. These scribes had a right of monopoly over the post which they could transfer to others, with the king's permission. In some cases the post passed by inheritance as late as the end of the fourteenth century.