Letter: T-S NS J119
Letter T-S NS J119Tags
Description
Letter from Jerusalem addressed to Efrayim b. Shemarya (Maḥfūẓ), concerning the revenue from the Compound of the Jerusalemites in Fustat, ca. 1040. This letter is written in Judaeo-Arabic with the address in Arabic script, whereas the great majority of letters written from Jerusalem to Efrayim b. Shemarya, the leader of the Palestinian congregation in Fustat, are in Hebrew. The writer of the letter is not the gaon himself, but somebody in his retinue. Only the left part of the letter is preserved. Apparently, the writer complains that the revenue from "the compound" (by which the compound in Fustat dedicated for the Jerusalemites is obviously meant) did not arrive; nor did they receive an additional sum which used to be sent from Fustat for "the holiday." Since a holiday just past and one in the near future are mentioned, the period is probably between Pesach and Shavu'ot. The situation in Jerusalem is described in gloomy terms. (Information from Gil, Documents, pp. 149 #6)
Edition: Gil, Moshe
Translation: Gil, Moshe (in English)
T-S NS J119 1r
Transcription
Moshe Gil, Documents of the Jewish Pious Foundations from the Cairo Geniza (Leiden: Brill, 1976).- ]דמה אלחבר אטאל אללה בקאה ואדאם
- ] מגוצה למקדראת קאירה ען וצף
- ]ל להם אלי אכתר מן אלמסלה(!) ללה
- א]גאבה דעאיהם לה חרסה אללה
- ]לתהם באלגמיל וקד כאן כתאבה
- ו]צל אלי חצרת אדונינו גאון שמ' צו'
- ] דנאניר מן אגרה אלדאר ואנפאדהא
- ]תצל וכדלך דכר מא תברע בעיד
- ]צר אדאם אללה עלאה ממא קד
- ] ללצעפא והי כמסה דנאניר פענד
- ג]מיע אכדנא שי כאן מעזול סנה
- ] עלם אללה כיף תצ[יר] אחואלנא
- ] נצרף אלי אלצעפא פי הדא אלעיד
- ] מתאלה שנים רבות פלמא פתח
- ] ליס מענא ולא לנא גהה בה אחוגת
- ] אלחבר שמ צו פי אנגאז מא קד חצל
- ] אללה יתוגע למרצנא ויחרץ פי
- ] כאן חו חרסה אללה עלינא אלדי
- ] שי לדלך ונחן מנתצרין גואב כתאבנא
- ]גמיל אללה תעלי לא יכלינא מנה
- ] ושלום כל אוהכיו ירבה נצח
Translation
Moshe Gil, Documents of the Jewish Pious Foundations from the Cairo Geniza (Leiden: Brill, 1976).Recto
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…the Ḥāvēr, may God give you a long life and everlasting (favor and grace)
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… your diving into abominations too enormous to be described
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. . . to them, to an even greater request from God
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. . . to answer their prayers for you, may God guard you
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. . . with kindness. Your letter to
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his honor, our Master the Gaon, may God preserve him, has arrived
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. . . . money from the rent of the compound and its dispatch
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… will arrive. You also mentioned the contribution on the holiday of
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. . . . may God give you a long-lasting highness, what you have
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. . . . for the poor, namely 5 dinars. Since with
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... (of) all this we did (not) receive anything. It was withheld for a year
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. . . God knows how the situation is
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… distributed to the poor on this holiday
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may God give you more) of its kind for many years. And when you opened
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(15-16). . . . we do not have nor possess any access to it . ... (you) the Ḥāvēr, may God preserve you, must employ (the sum) that was acquired
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. ... (may) God feel pity on our illness and endeavor to
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. . ..SO that you, may God guard you, be for us the one who
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. ... nothing to it. And we look forward to receiving the answer to our letter
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. . . . (by) the kindness of God, may He be exalted, do not withhold it from us
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.... and may the welfare of all who love you be increased forever.
T-S NS J119 1v
Verso:
لسيدى ابى كثير افرايم الحابار بن محفوظ الغزى
اطال الله بقاه وادام تاييده ونعماه
البيطار
Verso
To my Master Abū Kathīr Ephraim the ḥāvēr, b. Maḥtūẓ al-Ghazzī, may God give him a long life and everlasting favor and grace.
Verso, alternate script
Al-Bayṭār
