Letter: T-S Ar.39.192

Description

First-person report about a discussion, possibly a polemic between the writer and other people. This fragment begins in Arabic script, switches to Judaeo-Arabic for the remainder of recto, then switches back to Arabic script for all of verso except for a name written in Hebrew script. It begins: ". . . he was overcome by distress. . . and this is what the rabbis said, 'Do not get angry and you will not sin' (Berakhot 29b), for the man with such a character should attempt to get rid of it with the guidance of Solomon in Proverbs and with other (texts). I only said this to him by way of affection and 'love your neighbor as yourself.' As for what the master needs to know without doubt: I was passing through the square (al-murabbaʿa) and found Bū l-Ḥajjāj al-Ṭabīb (the physician) talking with Ibrāhīm al-Jābī. They saw me and Ibrāhīm said, 'This is so-and-so.' I said, 'What are you up to?' Ibrāhīm said. . . ." The continuation of the narrative on verso requires further examination. There is a lot of reported dialogue, followed by the sender visiting R. David(?) and telling him about the story, whereupon R. David may have told him that he was in the wrong. FGP. AA. ASE.