Letter: ENA 4020.49

Recto

1. You, O Lord, do not withhold Your mercy from me [...]

2. The insignificant servant Sh-L-M[...]

3. by which I make known to the master, the noble lord, the scholar [...]

4. the understanding, beneficent, gracious, benevolent, [...]

5. the beloved brother, the nagid Abū l-Barakāt, may [God make his glory eternal]

6. and destroy his enemies and those envious of him, and reunite us with him in go[od health ...]

    

7. and makes known to him his great longing for him and regret over what has happened [...] 

8. The one who prays to God that He may better help him reunite us in His favor, may He be exalted.

9. To the matter at hand: I have complained to God the exalted. What has prevented me from writing

10. to him was only my illness and the severe diseases that afflict me. Everything

11. I own or acquire gets spent on chickens, medicine, and potions.

12. Since the time I got married, I have had no rest. Most of the women who

13. attend to my condition and redeem me say that the only thing afflicting me is sorcery. Now

14. I am perishing. If you could see me, you wouldn't recognize me given the state I am in. I have become

15. as thin as a shadow, a specter in my clothes. Perform this great good deed (miṣvah);

16. be zealous with the zeal of men who fear God the exalted. Make (my situation) known to

17. his honor, greatness, glory, splendor, and excellence, our master and teacher, our lord,

18. our Gaʾon whose merit is a shield to us, our teacher, our horseman and rider,

19. our glory and splendor, the Light of Israel, the distinguished rabbi, the mighty hammer,

20. light of the world, may his Rock protect him, and inform him that I am perishing, and he, in his generosity,

21. should act with regard to this situation. Likewise the master, the judge, (his) h(onor), g(reatness), (and) h(oliness), our spelndid and glorious lord,

22. our glory, our teacher and  master Avraham the elder, the distinguished judge,

23. diadem of the judges, ornament of the physicians, splendor of the discerning,

Recto, right margin

1. son of rabbi Simḥa, (may his) s(oul be) b(ound up) in the (bundle of life),
2. should act in this matter
3. according to their proper judgment. 
4. If they consecrate the community
5. on the Sabbath and afterwards
6. inform the community
7. that the excommunication will ban
8. two paths in
9. the synagogue,
10. may it be inhabited,
11. ...

Recto, top margin

1. Know, O my lord,
2. the noble one, that this
3. good deed will occur
4. through your hands.

Verso

1. with excommunication, as I mentioned in the letter of the dear, stalwart brother Abū l-Faraj, (may his) Ro(ck) pr(eserve him).
2. If one hundred agree, let them excommunicate (him) in the neighborhood between the dead and
3. the living, whoever performed sorcery for Shelomo bar Eliyyahu, whether man or
4. woman or gentile man gentile woman, male slave or female slave, or whoever commanded them
5. to do this sorcery and did not nullify it, or whoever did something for him
6. from the time he married and does not nullify it after blowing the shofar
7. in the synagogue twice. This excommunication should be pronounced only by a man
8. who possesses fear of God, either the judge, may God grant him success,
9. or one of the honorable elders who fear the God of existence.
10. O my noble lord, this is my greatest need from you
11. and from your brother. Forgive this letter of mine, for I
12. wrote it, as the Creator, ble(ssed be His) na(me), knows. Do not neglect
13. this matter and the distress I am in. God knows
14. and is aware. Sitt Ghazzāl kisses your hands and longs for you [and f]o[r]
15. the noble offspring, may he be fruitful and multiply, and for the people of your household, [may you take delight]
16. in their lives, and to her grandfather, the lord, the father A[bū l-Ḥasan ...]
17. God to him, and to her father, the lord, the [ ... ]
18. may God grant him success. So act regarding the ex[communication ...]
19. The great reward [...]
20. in this difficult matter [...]
21. for one who is your flesh and blood [...]
22. Sitt Ghazzāl, may God [...]

Verso, top margin

1. in my well-being. I remember her
2. as He has remembered His saints.
3. O my noble lord,
4. do not
5. neglect this
6. matter. I convey
7. peace upon you
8. and upon my lord the fathe[r]
9. peace,
10. and upon my lord
11. the Pillar,
12. peace,
13. and upon the people of your house,
14. peace.
15. My lord, my brother,
16. my mother,
17. my maternal aunt,
18. and her son
19. send greetings
20. to you.
21. Peace.