Letter: T-S 16.196 + T-S 12.9

T-S 12.9 recto

1. (1-2) Proceedings that took place in our presence, etc. Whereas there came to our attention the state of affairs in our beloved and esteemed community in al-Maḥalla the protected,

2.  

3. may God bless them and keep them, plant among them love, fraternity, peace and friendship

4. and remove from their midst jealousy, hatred, and contention, and protect them with His abundant mercy

5. and lovingkindness—and in the other holy congregations situated in the villages

6. and towns, as follows: the community has become split and a breach has occurred among its members due to the absence of someone to supervise

7. (7-8) their litig[a]tions and disagreements, a matter that has been disclosed to the gentiles; knowledge of things forbidden and permitted has [w]eakened among them; they have ceased hearing

8.  

9. the words of the Torah durin[g] the regular courses and on the holidays and Sabbaths, as had been their usual practice;

10. and they have also ceased teaching their children and youths about the Torah and commandments and guiding them

11. toward what is proper and away from what is not. And whereas there appeared

12. before us some of our coreligionists who alleged that this had come to pass upon the departure of (his) h(onor), g(reatness, and) h(oliness)

13. (13-14) (our) m(aster) and t(eacher) Joseph ha-Levi the Excellent Ḥaver and that some members of the noble community there had resolved, in accordance with what they believed with conviction to be right

14.  

15. [and of their own free will (?)], not to associate with him either in gatherings or in the synagogue, which greatly distressed us:

16. [When] we, therefore, considered the disorderly condition of this community and the others in the countryside, alon[g] the lines we have mentioned,

17. it so dis[tress]ed and disturbed us that we had no alternative but to see to

18. its rectification, since at the present moment we have no suitable person to whom can be handed over the affairs

19. of such esteemed and illustrious communities—may God protect them and shelter them

20. under His wings. While we were looking into this matter, there were also present before us the elder

21. Abu ’l-Faḍl, and the elders R. so-and-so and R. so-and-so—blessed

 

Join: bottom of 12.9 / top of 16.196

1.  be they. They reported to us that the anarchy and disorder which has taken hold of you only set in
2. since R. Joseph the Excellent went away from them. Thereupon . . .
3. . . . a conflict which would take a long time to explain
4.  . . . the undermining of his position by some

T-S 16.196, recto, main text

1. … on account of poor government (on his part and lack of prudence in

2. … because of what we said to him about that, and because we also knew that he

3. … [anxious to uphold the words of] our God and strives to perform the commandments, therefore we were favorably disposed

4. … upon him [to] conduct the affairs of the community properly and to administer them

5. (5-6) as is required. Accordingly, he obligated himself to this in our presence and also (agreed) to cease his former practice of ruling some people coercively while currying favor with

6.  

7. others, and, if God so decrees, to administer from this day forward the affairs of the community,

8. whether small or big. An exception was made concerning those religious matters that require the fixing of

9. dues and punishments, there being no shame in this. Moreover, he is to act prudently

10. when presented with difficult matters of that sort and the like

11. and to solicit the opinion of His High Excellency about them—may his splendor be exalted. He accepted our instruction

12. (12-13) concerning all this, whereupon we reinstated him in his position and place by affixing our signatures at the end of this document, after His Excellency the rayyis—may his splendor be exalted and his honor in(crease)—had so directed,

13.  

14. and (restored) him to the muqaddamship over al-Maḥalla and all the other districts of the countryside. We wrote a document for him also. We know

15. (15-19) that the upright notables, renowned for their good qualities—may God watch over them and protect them—who refused to be present in the same place with him, will find this decision acceptable and will speedily make profitable use of it, even though it seems painful or difficult to them. (We know) that they will do what is proper

16.  
17.  
18.  

19. (19-21) and return to doing what is best, and that they will guide them- selves by their superior rightly guided intellectual facul- ties so as to be acquitted before God and man, whether

20.  

21. it is to their advantage or disadvantage. It is incumbent upon them—may they be blessed in heaven—to

22. (22-23) understand the times and to know what the world faces, namely, that these are times when no Jew should persist in hatred and con- tention, which means

23.  

24. enmity and opposition, or in any desire for worldly things at all. Rather they must

25. strive toward controlling their desires for such things and should act humbly and contritely

26. before God—may He be exalted—since "There is no wisdom nor understanding nor counsel against the Lord” Therefore they should act kindly

27. and in a friendly way toward this noble man and help him in (the work of) God—may He be exalted In this way, they will be causing

28. (28-29) gatherings of Jews to listen (once again) to the words of the Torah and to be urged to observe the commandments and to do good deeds, which stand as a shield against bad times. Then perhaps the Lord of Hosts will be compassionate and merciful toward the remnant of

29.  

30. Is(rael) and bring about their redemption speedily in our days and in yours by His mercy. This is the most proper and correct thing

31. for them to do and the most righteous act they could perform either in this world or the next The Creator of all—may He be exalted and blessed—will not overlook their

32. forbearance in this matter and their patience regarding him and their return to Him who does not withhold the reward of any creature

33. in this world. The open rectification of this matter, O Israel, will not be hidden from any intelligent and religious person.

34. Your noble community, which is renowned for its good qualities, has been attentive to these two

35. illustrious attributes. May the Creator of all, for His great name's sake, bring us and you to

36. (36-37) right-guidedness and success in this and other matters. This is a matter, O Israel, that can not fail to earn you—God grant you long life—the praise of His High Excellency—may his splendor be exalted—

37.  

38. and his thanks. Moreover, every one who hears of your return to your former master

 

T-S 16.196 margin

1.  and of your favorable disposition and affection toward him

2. will certainly praise you profusely. It is indeed a matter that leads

3. (3-4) to peace and brings man nearer to God—may He be exalted.

4.  

5. (5-6) So—may you be blessed—seize as your booty that abundant recompense from Him—may He be exalted. The achievement of peace by

6.  

7. your own hands should not be disdained, for it is not easily had.

8. Therefore, be conscientious about obeying that

9. noble man and have mercy on his Torah.

 

T-S 16.196 verso

1. (1-2) The person who alleged that he (Joseph) did whatever he did to him should kindly forgive him. You have certain obligations toward him, as you well know. Scripture says of God—may He be exalted and blessed—"He pardons iniquity and passes by transgression."

2.  

3. Now we know that the phrase "He pardons iniquity" means the same thing as the phrase "He passes by transgression"—may He be exalted and blessed. Therefore, the interpretation of this verse must be

4. that out of the abundance of His illustrious and just manner He is wont to pardon and forgive those who

5. are accustomed to pardoning and forgiving others. Therefore, it is incumbent upon you—may you be blessed—to honor him (Joseph) and restore

6. him to his former position. Noble men like you know how weakened his position has become. May the Creator of all

7. bring about through your hands all good qualities and protect you and enable you to d(o)

8. His will. And may your welfare increase.