Scholarship on Letter: T-S Misc.35.8

Know, my lord, that when He who makes decrees decreed that we  should experience many trials, He gave us into the hand of our captors

who brought us with a number of men and women, and sold us here in  Constantinople. But we were ransomed

with the Creator’s help, and the abundance of his kindness was upon us, and we didn’t meet our end, because there is no end to His mercy. And also,

afterwards, a few days later, we became acquainted, I to your daughter and she to me, and we shed many tears together because  

we had been exiled from our land and separated from you all. And some of the people of [ ]ia made great efforts, and, in accordance with the decree

of He who proclaims, we were joined together. And God showed us compassion and mercy, by providing us with sons and a daughter. The sons departed

for the House of Meeting, but we were left with the daughter, and she is betrothed to a young man, a Kohen, fair in all respects. And

we still entertain the hope that perhaps we shall succeed in presenting  ourselves to bow down before you. And now, we had it in mind to come, with

God’s help, but because of various sicknesses which found us and be cause the last penny disappeared from our hands without our finding

even enough for ease, we gave up. And, O heavens, since then and up  to now we’ve kept you informed through many letters,

but we haven’t received from you even a word of greeting in response.  Can such a thing be possible with you? Or is it fitting [for you?]

But on the contrary you have embittered me with the divorce deed  which you wrote. Instead of good, evil. And the [ ] will go

and cause it to pass. And now let us consider and attend only this once  to this Samuel. If you have compassion and mercy

upon us, then let him consider what you should do for us, because of  our marriage deed you should show me compassion, and you should even speed

with all your wisdom to meet this Samuel, a representative I appointed  to collect from my forefathers’ inheritance

about 10 dinars ‘of the place’, that perhaps he might bring them to us  to cover the cost of our coming to you. And now

[I am] writing to you: know and understand from your servant and your  son-in-law that since I wrote to you last year that you should prepare for  me

the marriage deed of my wife, your daughter, ‘Ashira, my only one,  therefore it must have been a difficult thing for you to do,

[for] you wrote to R. Elijah that I should divorce her with a divorce  deed when she was with a daughter and a son and a son-in-law! If you desire

this, my lord, then how much more do I wish that I could have divorced her right at the beginning. After our God blessed us

with offspring, how could you not show compassion for your own flesh and not fear the one whose very garment is the breath of your life?! This you should also

know: if I had no care for myself and for those souls that are with me, I would have taken

your letters and gone and shown them to the judges and to the leading members of the community. However, out of kindness I forbore and also because

I became sick and drained, and perhaps I should not rest until I have  come [to you]. And your daughter didn’t want

to accept a divorce deed from me, and she cried out and said to the  leading members of the community ‘How can I accept

a divorce deed and leave behind my children and my son-in-law?!’ And they too accorded you blame for what you did.

They shall be silent, and the evil deeds shall go to […]. And now, if you wish to console me,

write to me in detail what remains for me from my forefathers’ inheritance, clearly and according to those

responsible. And maybe you should make an effort with the representative that I appointed, that perhaps he might bring me 10 dinars

that would serve us for expenses, and by the help of God, we shall come  and bow down before you. And concerning my sisters, let me know

if they are alive and well. And may we be allowed to bow down before  you, bowing down to the soles of your feet, my daughter, my son-in-law and the baby –

if He grants it. And may your wellbeing, and the wellbeing of my brothers, the brothers of my wife, along with the lady, my mother in-law, increase forever. […]

May the letter of Abū ‘Alī b. Abu’l-Ma’ānī from Constantinople be carried

to the honourable master and teacher Joseph the Baghdadi in Egypt, with glad tidings.