Letter: BL OR 10578Q.2

Description

Recto: page 7 of a literary composition on parashot petuḥot and setumot. Verso: Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Draft? The recipient's son Efrayim is living with the writer, who seems to be responsible for his education. The writer describes how greatly they miss the recipient and then provides a detailed, interesting update of their prayer and study schedule on Shabbat. On Friday night they read the parashah (qera ve-targum) and the haftarah, then study some of the Guide for the Perplexed ('the Dallāla), then sleep until midnight. From midnight until dawn, Efrayim reads psalms. In the morning, they recite the 'shir', the mizmors, the amida, the parasha (kera ve-targum), the prophets, and the psalms. Then they read some of "the Ḥibur" or the Halakhot, then pray Minḥa, then they study Kitab al-Amānāt by Saadya Gaon. The rest is cut off.