Legal document: T-S 6J2.1

Legal document T-S 6J2.1

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T-S 6J2.1
Editor
Ashtor, History of the Jews in Egypt and Syria under the Rule of the Mamlūks‎ (in Hebrew) (1970), vol. 3.
Document Date
Primary Language
Judaeo-Arabic

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In PGP since 1989

Description

Levirate case in which a widow appoints an attorney to sue her brother-in-law with the demand either to marry or to free her. Dated: 20 Sivan 164. The dating clause is written clearly, but there's a key to interpreting it. Ashtor interpreted it incorrectly as (5)164 (AM) = 1404 (History of the Jews in Egypt and Syria under the Mamluks, vol. 3, p. 100 n. 2). Goitein corrected Ashtor's reading to 1204 because, as with many other 13th c documents in the geniza, you have to add 4800 to the stated date, so 4964 AM = 1204. To write 4964 in Hebrew, you would have to use a lot of characters, since the alef-bet only covers up until 400. So 4964 would be דתתקסד (that is, 4(000) + 400 + 400 + 100 + 60 + 4). But since in 1204, everyone knew the 4000 + 400 + 400 part, they just omitted it and wrote 164. So the document dates to 1204.

T-S 6J2.1 1r

1r

Transcription

Ashtor, History of the Jews in Egypt and Syria under the Rule of the Mamlūks‎ (in Hebrew) (Jerusalem: Mossad Harav Kook, 1970), vol. 3.
  1. למא כאן יום אלגמעה והו יום עשרין מחדש
  2. סיון משנת קסד אקנינא מן זין אלדאר ברת
  3. זכריה הזקן הנכבד נע אלמנת יפת בר שלה מקדסי נע
  4. באנהא וכלת מאיר הבחור היקר בר יכין הזקן
  5. הנכבד נע פי אן יחאכם אכו זוגהא יפת
  6. אלמתופא אלי אן יגיבה אלי אסכנדריה
  7. ויחלץ או ייבם וכדלך נשהד אנא זכריה
  8. המלמד בר חלפון נע

T-S 6J2.1 1v

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https://geniza.princeton.edu/documents/1815/