Legal document: T-S NS J30

Legal document T-S NS J30

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Legal document. Court record. Dating: 1232. Record of three tannery partners, Rāḍī ha-Kohen, Mufaḍḍal ha-Kohen, and Ṭāhir, who worked in Minyat Ziftā. The total amount of the partnership was fourteen hundred dirhams. Rāḍī and Ṭāhir may have held their portion of the partnership jointly, and Rāḍī seems to have been the managing partner. Rāḍī attests to having paid out seventeen dinars’ worth of hides to Mufaḍḍal, leaving him (Rāḍī) owing three dinars. Lieberman thus infers that Mufaḍḍal’s share of twenty dinars represents roughly one-third of the total value of the partnership. Prior litigation on the same matter in an Islamic court led to a ruling requiring Rāḍī to pay Mufaḍḍal 1.5 dinars each month. Rāḍī seems not to have accepted the ruling, and while Mufaḍḍal seems to have been willing to compromise and accept only one dinar a month, Rāḍī brings "an Islamic document" to challenge him. The case then comes before the court of Abraham Maimonides (though testimony was not admissible as one of the litigants was a relative of the witness). The document does not record any final settlement. (Information from Lieberman, "A Partnership Culture," 264)

T-S NS J30 1r

1r

Transcription

Phillip Ackerman-Lieberman, "A Partnership Culture" (PhD diss., n.p., 2007).
  1. חצרא אלשיוך אלכהנים ראצי ומפצל ואחצר מפצל מכתוב מן אלמקאם אלשריף
  2. מושב הדרת יקרת צפירת תפארת מרנו ורבנו אדוננו אברהם הנגיד הגדול
  3. הרב המובהק יהי שמו לעולם ירסם בתחקיק מא גרא(!) בין אלמדכורין קדימא
  4. וחצר שאהד אלא אנה קריב דכר אנה תקרר בינהם בגיר(!) חכם ולא קניין
  5. אן יופיה ראצי אלמבלג(!) אלמדכור פי אלותיקה אלערביה דינאר ונצף פי כל שהר
  6. פקאל מפצל דפוע עדידה קד קררת ונזלת ען כל מא גרא(!) פי דלך אלמקאם
  7. אלמתקדם אלמדכור מן תקסיט ותקראר וגיר(!) דלך ואדעא מפצל עלי
  8. ראצי בתסלים לה דינאר מבלגהא ורק אלף וארבע מאיה דרהם תסלם דלך
  9. ען סואל ורגבה(!) ותדממה ובה ותיקה אסלאמיה גאובה ראצי אן כאן וקף
  10. עלינא הדא אלמבלג(!) באקי טולבנא בה וכנא תלאת אשראך אנא והו
  11. וטאהר ולם יכן לי ולא לטאהר מא נופי בה ולם ירצא מפצל יעאמל
  12. טאהר ולא יעאמלה ולא ידאינה ותסלמת אנא הדא אלמבלג(!) מנה וכתבת
  13. עלי טאהר לי בנאיבה חגה אסלאמיה ואופינא אלדיואן אלבאקי עלינא בדלך
  14. אלמבלג אלדי תסלמתהא(!) ואסתופא מפצל מן אלמדבגה גלוד קימתהא חול
  15. אליז זאיד או נאקץ לא אעלם תחקיק כמיה דלך ואלבאקי בקא עלינא אל תלאת[ה
  16. וגאובה מפצל אן אלגלוד אלמדכורה וגירהא(!) לא(!) יצלני מן גמיע מא דכרתה שי
  17. ולם אקבץ(!) מן מבלג הדה אלחגה שי והי באקיה פי דמתך אלי אלאן ואלדי גרא(!)
  18. פי הדא אלמקאם בינהמא כתבנאה למהוי לזכו ולראיה וכאן דלך פי אלעשר
  19. אלאוסט מן חדש אדר שני משנת אתקמג לשטרות בעיר מניה זפתי גואד
  20. רשותיה דאדו]ננו נגידננו(!) רבנו אברהם הרב הגדול יחי לעד אמן נצח סלה
  21. סו. . יה זלה[. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
  22. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .] גמליאל בר שמחה ננ

Translation

Phillip Ackerman-Lieberman, "A Partnership Culture: Jewish Economic and Social Life Seen Through the Legal Documents of the Cairo Geniza" (PhD diss., Princeton University, 2007).

Recto

  1. The Elders, the Kohanim, Rāḍī and Mufaḍḍal came (before us,) and Mufaḍḍal brought a document from the court of the (Muslim) notable
  2. to the seat of his glorious excellency, Diadem of Beauty, our teacher and our master, our lord Abraham the great Nagid
  3. the outstanding Rav, may his name endure forever, describing with verification what proceeded between the aforementioned (individuals).
  4. A witness came—though he was a relative—stating that it was resolved between them without judgment or qinyan,
  5. that Rāḍī would pay him the aforementioned amount mentioned in the Arabic document, a dinar and a half each month.
  6. Mufaḍḍal said a number of times, “I have settled (the matter), and I renounced any proceedings in that aforementioned place (court),
  7. regarding a settlement or distribution, and so forth.” Mufaḍḍal demanded that
  8. Rāḍī pay him a dinar, (the total) amount (of the partnership) in silver being one thousand four hundred dirhams, payment of that to be
  9. upon request and demand. Then he (Rāḍī) challenged him, and he had an Islamic document. Rāḍī responded to him, “If this amount had been our sole responsibility,
  10. this amount would have been the balance of my claim. However, we were three partners—he
  11. and Ṭāhir and I—and neither Ṭāhir nor I had enough to pay it, and Mufḍḍal did not want to deal with
  12. Ṭāhir, nor did he (Ṭāhir) deal with him (Mufaḍḍal), nor did he (Mufaḍḍal) lend to him (Ṭāhir), but I myself received this amount from him (Mufaḍḍal), and an Islamic document
  13. was written for me concerning Ṭāhir by his agent. And we paid the remaining debts from that amount incumbent upon us.
  14. I paid it and Mufaḍḍal received the amount I paid in full in hides from the tannery, their worth roughly
  15. the 17, more or less—I am unable to verify its exact amount—and the balance of three remained as our responsibility.
  16. Mufaḍḍal responded: “Out of all I have mentioned, none of the aforementioned hides nor any others have reached me,
  17. nor have I received anything from the amount of this document, which is the balance in your possession up till now.” We wrote down that which proceeded
  18. in this court between the two of them, in order that it would be a title of right and proof. This took place in the middle ten-day period
  19. of the month of Adar II of the year 1543 of (the Era of) Documents, in the town of Mīnyat Ziftā the noble,
  20. [jurisdiction of ] our [lord,] our Nagid, our master Abraham, the great Rav, may he live forever, amen, (for) eternity, selah.
  21. […] … […]
  22. […] Gamliel b. Simḥa (whose) s(oul is at) r(est)

T-S NS J30 1v

1v
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