Letter: ENA 4020.5

Description

Right fragment: Letter/petition in Hebrew from the widow of the well-known judge Hiyya b. Yishaq (active in Fustat 1129–60s) to the Jewish congregation of Fustat. Her father was Shelomo, ”the great prince,” i.e. someone with a position in the state administration. She informs the community of her difficult financial circumstances in explicitly gendered language: "(I write to) your honor due to the pressing times and their vicissitudes (even) on the rich who know well in their wisdom how to manage their wealth so that it will not decrease and dwindle. How much more (difficult are these times) on she who is hidden in the belly of the earth and is dependent on all (היא חבויה בבטן האדמה וצריכה לכל)." She also mentions that she has instructed a certain Menahem to speak on her behalf and collect money for her. On the back of the Hebrew petition are some 14 lines in Arabic script. They are directly related to the Hebrew petition as the second Arabic line mentions ”the daughter of the rayyis Salāma” and the fourth line mentions the same Menahem from the Hebrew petition. (Information from Oded Zinger)