Letter: Bodl. MS heb. d 66/45

Description

Letter addressed to Abū Sahl ha-Levi (the cantor of the Palestinian synagogue in Fustat, who died in 1211), with greetings also to his brothers Moshe and Abū ʿImrān. The identity of the writer is not clear. S. M. Stern identified this as an autograph of Maimonides, but it is not a perfect match The remainder of the writer's name might appear at the upper left of recto: possibly B[ū Zi]kr[ī]? The ductus and the overall appearance is similar to several letters of the physician Abū Zikrī b. Eliyyahu, but again, the handwriting is not a perfect match. The writer excuses his failure to write on account of an illness, and a little later, "As for your failure to write to me: I had an excuse, but you have no excuse!" There is not a great deal of content to this letter beyond the good wishes and urging a response. It is valuable, though, for the clear identification of Abū Sahl's brothers as Moshe and Abū ʿImrān. ASE