Legal document: T-S 13J22.2

Legal document T-S 13J22.2

Metadata

Shelfmark
T-S 13J22.2
Editor
S. D. Goitein, "Wills and Deathbed Declarations from the Cairo Geniza‎" (in Hebrew), Sefunot‎ 8 (1964).
Primary Language
Judaeo-Arabic

Tags

Input date

In PGP since 1987

Description

Legal document. Deathbed will of the wife of a scholar, ca. probably 1151. A personal record of an anonymous writer, apparently a member of the court. Together with four other people he was called to attend the deathbed declaration of Sitt al-Husn, the wife of Judge Natan b. Shemuʾel ha-Ḥaver, "the Diadem of the Scholars." Since it was a Saturday, the official report could not be written, and the writer noted the main parts of the declaration immediately after Saturday was over, in order not to forget it. He was probably a court clerk, since his record contains the main formal elements of a regular deed. The woman frees her two female slaves and bequeaths them a quarter of a compound belonging to her, and dedicates half the compound in which the declaration is given to the qodesh. The two female slaves can live in the room in which the declaration is given, provided they keep the Jewish faith. An eighth of another compound partly owned by her is to be sold to cover the expenses ofher burial. She also states which of her belongings should be given to her husband. (Information from Gil, Documents, pp. 270 #55)

T-S 13J22.2 1r

1r

Transcription

S. D. Goitein, "Wills and Deathbed Declarations from the Cairo Geniza‎" (in Hebrew), Sefunot‎ 8 (Jerusalem, Israel: Yad Izhak Ben Zvi / יד יצחק בן-צבי, 1964), 105-126.

Recto

  1. דכלת יום אלסבת אלכאמס עשר פי
  2. סיון מע אלנזר ר נתן בר שמואל החבר
  3. נע ומעי רבי יהודה הכהן נזר
  4. הכהנים ומעוזם חדות הנשיאות
  5. בר כב גד קד מרינו ורבינו יעקב
  6. הכהן הדין סט ואלשיך אבו אלפרג
  7. אבן אלרמלי ואלכהן אלדבאח אלדי ענד
  8. חמאם אלדיך ואלכהן אלדי יפרוש
  9. צאחב אלראיס אלנגיד אבו מנצור
  10. ישמרו צורו אלי דארה אלתי לסת
  11. אלחסן בת סעאדה אמראתה אל'
  12. מערופה בבנת אלחדבה ואשהדתנא
  13. עלי נפסהא מהיום ולאחר מיתה
  14. והי צח דהנהא עארפה במא תקול
  15. ותתכלם ועארפה באלנהאר אנה יום
  16. סבת בעדא' ערפוהא אלכהן אלדי יפרוש
  17. אלמדכור ואלשיך אבו אלפרג \אל\ רמלי
  18. אלמדכור אנהא עטאת (!) ווהבת [לגאר]
  19. לגוארהא אלאבכאר דהב וסת אלסמר
  20. בעד אן עתקתהמא מהיום ולאחר
  21. מיתה רבע אלדאר אלדי פי אלמסאסה
  22. פי שרכה אלראיס אבו אלמנגא שלמה
  23. בר צדקה נבע ואנהא והבת ללקדש
  24. נצף גמיע אלדאר אלתי פיה סכנאהא
  25. ואן יכונא אלאלגואר סכאן [...] טול
  26. חיותהמא פי גזו אלקדש פאלמכאן (!)
  27. אלתי כאנת פיה אלשהאדה על תנאי אן
  28. כאנו (!) יהוד אלהיבה ואלסכנא ואלכרבה
  29. אלתי קבאלת אלדאר מע נצף אלדאר לזוגהא
  30. רבינו נתן נזר החברים ודכרו אן אלכהנים
  31. אלמדכורין אסמאהמא פי אלכתובה ודלת
  32. אן מוכרהא כמסין דינאר ואן אלכתובה מא
  33. כאנת חאצרה פי הו (!) אלוקת וקאלת אן

Translation

Moshe Gil, Documents of the Jewish Pious Foundations from the Cairo Geniza (Leiden: Brill, 1976).

Recto

  1. (1-12) Saturday, the 15th Siwan, together with "the Diadem" (of the Scholars) R. Nathan b. R. Samuel, the ḥāvēr, of blessed memory, while there were with me R. Yehūdā ha-Kohen "the Diadem of the Priests and their Stronghold, the Joy of the nesīʾūt”, the son of His Holiness our Master and Leader Jacob ha-Kohen, the judge, may he have a good outcome; the elder Abūʾl-Faraj b. al-Ramlī; the Kohen who is the shōḥēt near Ḥammām al-Dīk; and the Kohen "who separates the fingers", the colleague of the "Head of the Jews" the Nāgīd Abū Manṣūr, "may God preserve him, I entered his (i.e. Nathan b. Samuel's) house, that belongs to Sitt al-Ḥusn the daughter of Saʿāda, his wife, known as Bint al-Ḥadba.She took us as witnesses 

  2.  
  3.  
  4.  
  5.  
  6.  
  7.  
  8.  
  9.  
  10.  
  11.  
  12.  

  13.  of her own, as from today and after death. 

  14.  At that time, her mind was sound, she knew what she was saying 

  15.  and talking. She knew that that day was 

  16. (16-19) Saturday. Then the said Kohen "who separates the fingers" and the said elder Abūʾ1-Faraj b. al-Ramlī informed her that she gave and donated to her slave girls, the virgins, Dhahab and Sitt al-Samar 

  17.  
  18.  
  19.  

  20.  after having freed them,t asis from today and after

  21.  death, a quarter of the compound that is in Masāsa

  22.  in partnership with al-Raʾīs Abūʾl-Munajjā Solomon 

  23.  b. R. Ṣedāqā of blessed memory; that she donated to the qōdesh 

  24.  half the entire compound in which she has her apartment; 

  25.  that the slave girl will live all 

  26.  their life in the part of the qōdesh in the room

  27.  in which the witnessing took place, provided they 

  28.  remain of Jewish faith. The apartment and the ruin

  29.  opposite the compound, and half the compound will belong to her husband 

  30.  our Leader Nathan, "the Diadem of the Scholars. They said that the two

  31.  above-mentioned kōhanīm had their names written (also) in her ketubbā. She indicated 

  32.  that her muʾakhkhar was 50 dinars. The ketubbā 

  33.  was not by her at that time. She said that 

 

T-S 13J22.2 1v

1v

Verso

  1. יובאע אלתמן אלדאר אלתי כלף אלגאמע אלתי
  2. פי שרכה אלסלטאן אידה אללה ואלשיך אבו
  3. אלאעלי בן תמאם נע יונפק פי כל מא
  4. תחתיג (!) מן כפן ותאבות וחזאנין ודפן וחמאלין
  5. וגמיע נואיבהא ואן לם יקום בהא תבאע אל
  6. עצאבה אלתי ענד אלנזר זוגהא ויופא מנהא
  7. מא ינקוצהא והי אחדי עשר קטעה וקאל
  8. אלנזר זוגהא נעם הי ענדי ואן פצל מן תמן
  9. תמן אלדאר מדכור (!) שי יועטא ללגואר
  10. אלמדכורתאן ומא כאן מן קמאש יצלח
  11. ללנסא להמא ומא יצלח לגיר אלנסא לזוגהא
  12. אלנזר וכאן יום אלסבת ומא אקניינא מנה
  13. עלי אמצא מא דכרתה ומא סמעת
  14. מנהא אתבתה חתי אן תופאת אן טלב
  15. מני אלשהאדה לא אנסא

Verso

  1.  they should sell the eighth ot the compound that is behind the Mosque,

  2. (2-3) in partnership with the Sultan, may God support him, and the elder Abūʾl-Aʿlā b. Tamām, of blessed memory, and it should be spent on all that 

  3.  

  4.  she will need: Shrouds, the coffin, cantors, tomb, porters,

  5.  and all her funeral expenses, and if that is not enough for it they should sell

  6.  the tiara that is with her husband, the "Diadem" (of the Scholars), and cover with it 

  7.  the missing part. It has eleven segments. 

  8.  Then her husband the "Diadem" (of the Scholars) said: "Yes, I have it". If there is something left from the sum received for 

  9.  the eighth of the said compound it should be given to the two slave girls 

  10.  mentioned above. Any clothes that are fit

  11.  for women shall be given to the two of them and whatever is not fit for women should be given to her husband,

  12.   the "Diadem” (of the Scholars). It was Saturday, so we did not conclude any deed of his 

  13.  to confirm what she said, but whatever I heard 

  14.  her saying I recorded, so that if she died and anyone asked 

  15.  me for the testimony I should not forget it.

 

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