Letter: T-S Ar.18(1).123

Description

The shelfmark T-S Ar.18(1).123 unites three fragments, which all have Hebrew liturgical poems on one side and remainders of letters in Judaeo-Arabic on the other. All three letters appear to be in the same handwriting, and all the liturgical fragments are likewise in the handwriting of the same scribe (different than the scribe of the letters). It is unclear if any of the fragments belong to the same letter or if they are from three different letters. Fol. 1: Mercantile letter in Judaeo-Arabic. The addressee's letter arrived, along with the 5 shipments it mentioned, 4 for "Sayyidnā Av (Bet Din)" and 1 for the sender. The sender paid the price or wages for the one load (1 rubāʿī) and the four loads (1 dinar) as ordered. He then provides updates on other shipments. As for Av, he set sail the day prior (אלבירחה) for Tripoli. Av asked the sender to pass on greetings to the addressee and to his son Ghālib. Mentions "our Rabbi Binyamin" and a community. Mentions someone's brother 'our Rabbi Mevasser.' Greetings to the cantor Hiba and to R. Yaʿqūb.