“Yerushalmi, Hyman” (i.e. A. M. Habermann). Machbereth Hasheker Vehakozev, o, Yode’a Sepher [satirical parody]

Written in the style of a medieval maqama, a satrical tale in rhymed prose and metric verse, this small work is aimed at an unmentioned bibliographer. The protagonist is accused of being a pompous and pretentious charlatan, proud of his extensive knowledge of Hebrew books. Indeed, when questioned about a non-existent text, the “expert” immediately relates a detailed printing history of the book. The subject of the satire was in fact Abraham Yaari who was Habermann’s scholarly rival. Unlisted in the bibliography of Habermann’s works