Letter: ENA NS 77.159 + T-S 8J14.13

Description

Letter in Hebrew addressed to a certain Shemuel, who is a business partner of the sender. Two pieces comprising the bottom of the letter. The sender complains of the scarcity of time and his great expenses, which exceed 1 Egyptian dinar every week. Greetings to the addressee, his father-in-law the son of the late Gaʾon, and Shemuel ha-Kohen, who should be informed that his son Eliʿezer departed from the sender and traveled first to Alexandria and then to "the villages," where he is living in peace and tranquility. The addressee is asked to send a letter explaining "clearly but in hints" the details of their business partnership. It should be sent with R. Shemuel the sender's sister's husband, who will deliver it to him. Concludes with expressions of love (ḥesheq): "like the love of your brother Barukh b. Netanʾel he-Ḥaver (ZL) and like the love of the sons of Netanʾel, may they live. . . . and like the love of Abigail and Esther." (Information in part from CUDL.) Join: Alan Elbaum. There are several additional fragments in the hand of the same scribe (identified by Oded Zinger): JRL Series B 3311 (PGPID 5213), Moss. II,150 (PGPID 26708), and Moss. VII,143.2 (PGPID 27025). The JRL document is addressed to the sister's husband (also confusingly named Shemuel) and refers to some of the same content as the present letter: "I remind you to keep the contract. . . of my partner Shemuel . . . ."