Letter: T-S 10J20.5
Letter T-S 10J20.5Tags
Input date
In PGP since 1987Description
Petition from Hibatallāh b. Bū l-Faḍl Ibn al-Shofeṭ to Moshe Maimonides. Dating: ca. 1180 CE. The sender complains concerning a part of the revenue of the house of Ibn Pinḥas in Fustat, which had been allocated to him some time before. The petition is written in a very flowery and flattering style, in which besides biblical phrases there are also some more original figures of speech. (Information from Gil, Documents, pp. 325 #79)
Edition: Gil, Moshe
Translation: Gil, Moshe (in English)
T-S 10J20.5 1r
Transcription
Moshe Gil, Documents of the Jewish Pious Foundations from the Cairo Geniza (Leiden: Brill, 1976).- מפתח חרצובות ומשלחף עצבות ומ[ר]חק אובות[
- להקים חוקי משנה ולהסיר תואנה ולהדוך רוש ולענה יזכהו שוכן
- מעונה לבנין עיר חנה ולחזות ישועה ולשננה אני יי בעתה אחישנה
- הוא משה דורו אוה בצדקה יעטרו ובחיל יאזרו ועליו יציץ נזרו
- אלממלוך הבה אללה בן בלפצל בן אלשופט יקבל אלארץ בין ידי מגלס סיידנא
- אלעאלי פי אפק אלמגד אלסאמי פי דרג אלגד די אלאצל אלנביל ואלכטר אלעביל
- אלדי נצבה אללה סראגא מנירא ועלמא טהירא כאפלא ללצעפא אל
- מנקטעין ואלפקרא אלמדקעין וכאץ בני טובים אלדין יתעאהד אחואלהם
- ויוצל אמאלהם וקד אחאט כרים עלמה במא הו מסוג ללממלוך מן
- וקף אלהקדש באלדוירה אלמערופה באבן פינחס במצר ומבלגה פי כל סנה
- [ ] דיאנתה ויכצה איצא עמא
Translation
Moshe Gil, Documents of the Jewish Pious Foundations from the Cairo Geniza (Leiden: Brill, 1976).Recto
-
looses the bands, removes sadness, dismisses the ghosts . . .
-
(2-3) to confirm the rules of the Mishnā, to abolish any pretext, to pull down wormwood and gall. May (God) who dwells in His high places make you rejoice over the building of the City in which He took up residence, and see salvation so as to tell about it. I, the Lord will hasten it in his time.
-
You are the Moses of your time. The One Who Loves Charity will crown you with righteousness and gird you with strength. But upon yourself shall your crown flourish.
-
Your slave Hibat Allah b. (A)būʾl-Faḍl b. al-Shōfeṭ kisses the earth before your seat, our Lord,
-
who is elevated upon the horizon of glory; ordained in the order of success; of noble extraction and of significant importance;
-
(7-8) whom God established as a shining candle and a visible flag; you take care of poor people who confine themselves (for the study of the Torah) and of miserable needy people, especially when they are of good families. You then deal with their situation
-
and fulfill their hopes. Your generous knowledge has been informed about the allowance which your slave has
-
(10-11) from the waqf of the heqdēsh in the duwayra known (by the name of) Ibn Pinḥās in Fustat, which is a yearly sum of .... his piety; and there also belongs to him ....
T-S 10J20.5 1v
