Letter: T-S 13J18.14
Letter T-S 13J18.14Tags
Input date
In PGP since 2017Description
Letter on behalf of Yaḥyā b. ʿAmmār of Alexandria addressed to ʿŪlla ha-Levi b. Yosef, a.k.a. Abū l-ʿAlā' Ṣāʿid b. Munajjā, a parnas (social welfare official) and trustee of the court in Fustat, dated documents 1084–1117. In Judaeo-Arabic. In the hand of Ḥalfon b. Menashshe. Yaḥyā requests financial help, especially with paying off his debts. His dependents include his children and his old, blind mother. When he could not bear to see them suffering from hunger, he ran away. For some time he has been in hiding from his debtors, some of whom are Muslim. He has recently heard that his mother is dying. He fears that she will die "on his account" before he is able to return and obtain her forgiveness. Information from Mediterranean Society, I, p. 257, Goitein's index cards, CUDL, and Cohen. ASE.
Edition: Goitein, S. D.
Translation: Cohen, Mark (in English)
T-S 13J18.14 1r
Transcription
S. D. Goitein, unpublished editions.עבדהא יחיי אלאסכנדראני
בן עמאר
- בשמ רחמ
- אשרי משכיל אל דל ביום רעה ימלטהו וגו
- אלכאלק תעאלי דכרה ותקדסת אסמאה יסתגיב פי חצרה אלשיך אלגליל אבו אלעלא
- צאעד כגק מרור עולה הלוי הנאמן נאמן בית דין ורצוי הישיבה צאלח אלדעא
- ויגעלה אבדא מקצודא ולא קאצדא ויכפיהא מא תחאדרה וישאהדנא פרח
- אולאד ולדהא ולא יכליהא מן חסן אלתופיק ויהיה בעזרה ויושיעה למען שמו
- הגדול וכן יהי רצון עבדהא ינהי אליהא אנה מן אהל אלסכנדריה ממן
- לם תגר לה עאדה יום קט באכד שי מן אחד ולא כשף וגהה לאחד
- וכאן יתמעש ויקטע זמאנה באלזאיד ואלנאקץ ופי רקבתה אטפאל ועאילה
- ולה ואלדה עגוז טאענה פי אלסן צרירה אלבצר אנכסר עליה באלאסכ[נדריה ענד]
- מסלמין דיון ובקי מסתכפי לא יקדר יטהר אלי אן אכל חאלה באלה ועגז ען אל[טהר]
- וצאר ינטר אטפאלה ועגוזה באלגוע פמא חמלה קלבה אן יקעד ינטרהם עלי
- תלך אלצורה פכרג הארבא מרתגי רחמה אללה ופצל ישראל [ולה אל]יום מדה לא
- יקדר עלי אלכבז וקד וצל בעץ מדאיניה וצאר מסתכפי וקד סמע ען חצרתהא
- אנהא דו עצביה ונכוה ופאעלה אלתואב וטאלבה אלחסנא[ת] וקד טרח
- נפסה עלי אללה ועליהא פי אן תעינה עלי זמאנה ותחצל לה מא יקתאת בה
- ושי יעוד בה אלי אהלה <מן אלמנת אלשיך אבו אלחסן בן מסעוד ואכתהא ובנת כאלתהא אלמנת אלשיך סלאמה בן סעיד וגירהם> ואטפאלה ועגוזה וידפע בה בעץ דיונה פאן קד סמע
- אלעבד אן אלעגוז תאלפה והו כאיף מן אן ידנוהא אגלהא פי גהתה פלא יכסב
- מנהא תואב ותבקא אלחסרה פי קלבה וקלבהא פתפעל מעה מא יקרבה אלי אללה
- סבחאנה ותגתנם תואבה ותואבהא ותואב אטפאלה ולהא אדאם אללה עלאהא
- אלראי אלעאלי פי מא תגעלה מע עבידהא ושלום הדרתה יגדל לעד נצח ישע רב
Translation
Mark Cohen, The Voice of the Poor in the Middle Ages (Princeton, New Jersey: Princeton University Press, 2005).Recto
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Your slave Yaḥyā the Alexandrian
b. ʿAmmār
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In (your) name O M[e]rc(iful)
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“Happy is he who is thoughtful of the wretched; in bad times may (the Lord) keep him from harm” (Psalm 41:2).
May the Creator, may His mention be exalted and His names be sanctified, answer the pious prayer for your excellency the illustrious elder Abuʾl-ʿAlā Ṣāʿid, (your) h(onor,) g(reatness), ho (liness), (our) ma(ster) and t(eacher) ʿUlla ha-Levi the Trustee, Trustee of the Court and Favorite to the Yeshiva, and make you always one of the besought rather than a beseecher and protect you from what you fear. May He grant that we witness the joy of seeing children of your children, may He not deprive you of good success, and may He be your help and salvation, [or the sake of His great name, and s[o] may it be His will.
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Your slave informs you that I am an [A]l[ex]andrian who has never [b]een in the habit of taking from anyone nor of uncovering his face to anyone. I have been earning a livelihood, just managing to get by. I have responsibility for children and a family and an old mother, [a]dvanced in years and blind. I incurred losses because of d[e]bts owed to Muslims in Alexa[ndria]. I remained in hiding, unable to appear in public, to the point that my mind became racked by the situation. Unable to [go out], I began watching my children and old mother starve. My heart could not bear to let me sit and watch them in this state. So I fled, seeking re[f]uge in God's mercy and the kindness of the Jewish community (lit. "Israel"). [As of to]day it has been a (long) time since I have been able to get any bread. One of my creditors arrived and I went back into hiding
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I heard that your excellency has a heart for his fellows Jews (and is a generous person, who acts to receive reward (from God) and seeks to do good work[s], so I throw myself before God and you to help me against the vicissitudes of Time and furnish me something to eat and something to bring back to my family, // including the widow of the elder Abuʾl-Ḥasan b. Masʿūd and her sister and the daughter of her maternal aunt, the widow of the elder Salāma b. [S]aʿīd, and others, // and my children and old mother, and to pay some of my debts. In fact, your slave has just heard that his old mother has been injured and I fear that her t[im]e has come near because of me and that I will not be rewarded by seeing her; rather, an unrequited desire will remain in my heart and in hers. So do with me what will bring you close to God, be [p]raised, and ear[n] reward (for helping) me and her and my children.
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To you, may God perpetuate your high rank, belongs the lofty decision concerning what to do for your humble slave.
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And may the welfare of your excellency increase forever. Great salvation.
T-S 13J18.14 1v
