Legal document: T-S 16.21

Legal document T-S 16.21

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In PGP since 2004

Description

Legal document. Partnership agreement. Dating: 1140. The partners (Abū al-Barakāt and Abū al-Faraj) split losses evenly but grant the active partner (Abū al-Faraj) thirteen twenty-fourths of the profit. In fact, the document specifies two twenty-fourths of the profit allocated to Abū al-Faraj, the amount by which his share exceeded Abū al-Barakāt's, as "remuneration [for his trouble and work]". Per Maimonides, the share of profits allocated to the active partner must be at equal to or greater than the share of losses. This suggests that in this case only 1/24 of the thirteen twenty-fourths of the profit allocated to Abū al-Faraj is the “additional amount” corresponding to payment for his work. The document is explicit that profits are split "evenly" (each partner receives eleven twenty-fourths), and an "additional amount" of two twenty-fourths is to be allocated to Abū al-Faraj. Abū al-Faraj is to have free disposal of the partnership capital, part of which is considered a loan, without any recourse to Abū al-Barakāt. Abū al-Barakāt also declares that his partner’s testimony would be trusted, even though both partners are supposed to perform an accounting. A copy of the partnership agreement is written for each of the parties' records. Should the partnership be terminated by either party before the end of the fixed period (which is not evident in the document, possibly due to deterioration), the terminating partner would be required to pay the other 50 dinars as an outright gift. If Abū al-Barakāt were to terminate the partnership prematurely, he would lose the entire amount putatively loaned to Abū al-Faraj, which was likely half his capital. (Information from Lieberman, "A Partnership Culture," 119-120)

T-S 16.21 1r

1r

Transcription

S. D. Goitein, unpublished editions.
  1. . . . . . . . . . . .]חאגה ולא יכפי אלשיך . . .[. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  2. . . . . . . . . . . א]סתקר פי הדה אלשרכה אן יכון [. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  3. . . . . . ואן יעמלא חסאבהמא פי כל קליל ומא סהל אלב[. . . . . . . . . . . .
  4. פאידה בעד אקאמה ראס אלמאל ואכראג גמיע אלמוון אלל[. . . . . . . . . . . .
  5. ודכאן וגירהא ממא הו מעהוד לכל מן יעאני הדה אלצנע[ה . . . . אחדי עשר
  6. קיראט לאלשיך אבו אלברכאת דנן מן אלפאידה . . . . . . . . .[. . . . . . . . . . .
  7. ללשיך אבו אלפרג דנן מן דלך אחדי עשר קיראט . .[. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  8. דנן פי אלפאידה ואלקיראטין אלזיאדה ען דלך שכר [טרחו ועמלו ואן כאן
  9. עאיד באללה צד אלפאידה כאנת בינהמא נצפין באלסויה [. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  10. דלך ואשהדנא אלשיך אבו אלפרג עלי נפסה בקרצה גמיע מא [. . . . . . . . . .
  11. אלברכאת דנן מן אלראס אלמאל פי הדה אלשרכה ומבלג דלך כמסון [. . . . . . .
  12. איצא מא יכצה פיהא וכון אלגמיע צאר בידה דרהם [ואחד] וקבול גמיע [. . . . . . .
  13. אליה פי הדה אלשרכה ואלרצא במא אסתקר פיהא מן אלפאידה [. . . . . . . . .
  14. . . . . . . . .דא. . . . שכר טרחו ועמלו ואן ליס לה עלקה . . [אבו אל
  15. ברכאת דנן פי דלך אד הו אלמתצרף פיה דונה ואלמלתזם באל[. . . . . . . . .
  16. ואלעטא וגמיע אלשי בידה ואשהדנא אלשיך אבו אלברכאת דנ[ן . . . . . . . . .
  17. במא אסתקר ען אלפאידה וצדהא פי דלך אלקיראטין מן אלפאי[דה . . . . . . . . .
  18. דנן ען שכר טרחו ועמלו פאצלה לה ען מא יקתסמאה עלי[ה . . . . . . . . . . .
  19. ואקנינא מן כל מנהמא לצאחבה עלי מא הו מנסוב עליה פי ה[דה אלשרכה
  20. מא הו משרוח פי הדא אלכתאב קנין גמור חמור בכלי הכשר לקנו[ת בו
  21. בביטול כל מודעין ותנאין מן גיר קהר [ולא] גבר ולא אכראה ולא סהו ו[. . . . . . . .
  22. בהמא מן מרץ ולא גיר דלך מן גמיע מפסדאת אלשהאדה ובלי שום אונס כלל ושהדו[תא
  23. דא כתבנא וחתמנא תרי נוסחי אות באות ומלה במלה ויהבנא לכל חד מינהון חדי
  24. נוסחא דליהוי בידיה על חבריה לזכו ולראי'ה ופי גמלת אלקנין מנהמא אן מן פסך
  25. מנהמא הדה אלשרכה קבל אנתהא אלמדה אלמתבותא לעיל כאן לצאחבה עליה
  26. כמסון דינארא מתנה גמורה מעכשיו ואלתזמא גמיעא בהדא אלשרט ורציא בה
  27. ואקני מנהמא כדלך באוכד שרוט אלקנינות וכאן דלך בחדש ס[יון] אלמארך לעילא
  28. יש טרטוש עלי פי אלפאידה ועל קיראטין והכל שריר ובריר וקיים [ותא]כרת
  29. כתאמאתנא אלי אב: נתן הכהן בר שלמה הכהן נע
  30. ישועה בר יאשיהו נין שמעיהו גאון נע נתן ב[ר שמ]ואל החבר
  31. אלעזר בר יוסף נע

Translation

Phillip Ackerman-Lieberman, "A Partnership Culture: Jewish Economic and Social Life Seen Through the Legal Documents of the Cairo Geniza" (PhD diss., Princeton University, 2007).

Recto

  1. […] need and the Elder Abū […] did not satisfy […]
  2. [… e]stablishing in this partnership (shirka) that there would be […]
  3. […] and the two of them will produce their reckoning in every detail. That which the [exalted] C[reator] facilitates [in terms of]
  4. profit after returning the capital, and after paying for all the [necessary] provisions […]
  5. and a shop and other (things) typical in this industr[y … eleven]
  6. qīrāṭs for the Elder, this Abū al-Barakāt, from the profit … […]
  7. for the Elder, this Abū al-Faraj, eleven qīrāṭs therefrom […]
  8. in the profit and the two additional qīrāṭs as remuneration for [his trouble and work, and if,]
  9. God forbid, there is the opposite of a profit, it will be divided in equal halves between the two of them […]
  10. We called the Elder Abū al-Faraj to testify to a loan of all that which this [Abū]
  11. al-Barakāt […] which is the capital in this partnership (shirka) and that amount is fifty [dinars …]
  12. also that which he specified therein, and its total being [a single] dirham, coming into his hand, and the acceptance of all […]
  13. to him in this partnership (shirka), and approval of that which was decided therein for the profit […]
  14. … he also established … remuneration for his trouble and work, and if he has no attachment … […] this [Abū al-]
  15. Barakāt therein, since he has the right of disposal therein, without (the approval of Abū al-Barakāt), and the requirement of [trans-]
  16. acting, all of it was in his hand. We called the Elder th[is] Abū al-Barakāt to testify […]
  17. as to what was decided concerning the profit and its opposite concerning those two qīrāṭs of prof[it…]
  18. this […] remuneration for his trouble and work, his surplus over him beyond that which they divided […]
  19. We performed a qinyan with each of them and his fellow concerning that which is ascribable to him, respectively, in t[his partnership (shirka) …]
  20. That which is specified in this document, a complete and effective qinyan, with an item suitable [for doing so,]
  21. nullifying all the secret dispositions and conditions, with neither duress nor force nor compulsion, with neither negligence [nor error, with neither illness]
  22. nor disease among the two of them, nor any of the like from all the factors which invalidate testimony, and without any sort of duress at all. This testim[ony]
  23. we wrote and signed in two copies, letter by letter and word by word, and we gave each of them one
  24. copy, in order that he would have a title of right and proof obligating his fellow. In their whole transaction, if someone cancels
  25. this partnership (shirka) before the end of the period fixed above, he will be obligated (to pay) his fellow
  26. fifty dinars as a complete gift, effective immediately. The two of them will be obligated in all these stipulations, and they were satisfied with it.
  27. We performed a qinyan with each of them likewise, with the most certain stipulations of acquisitions. That was in the month of S[ivan] dated above.
  28. There is an erasure upon “in the profit” and upon “the two qīrāṭs”. Everything is proper and clear and enduring. Our signatures were dela[yed]
  29. until Av : Nathan ha-Kohen b. Solomon ha-Kohen (who) r(ests in) E(den)
  30. Yeshu‘a b. Josiah great-grandson of Shemaiah the Gaon (who) r(ests in) E(den) Nathan b. [Sam]uel the Ḥaver
  31. Eleazar b. Joseph (who) r(ests in) E(den)

T-S 16.21 1v

1v
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