Scholarship on Letter: DK 236 (alt: 27, XXXI - XXXIX)

Recto

1. In God I have trusted.
2. The splendrous one, the distinguished scholar, the ḥazzan versed in every matter,
3. adorned with the necklace of grace, the honored ḥaver,
4. the glory of the generous ones ...
5. salvation in the days in which God causes salvation to sprout,
6. the divine presence has journeyed, and deliverance has increased.
7. Let it be known that the elder Sālim, may his Rock protect him, who is currently
8. the ḍāmin of al-Maṭariyya near the dīwān (may it flourish)
9. belonging to the esteemed amīr, king of the amirs, may
10. God extend his shadow (over him): he and a young man named Makārim
11. ibn Manṣūr the fishmonger had a dispute, and they appeared before (a court) ...
12. between them. Makārim came forward and swore on the holy
13. Torah of God that he would not outbid Sālim,
14. nor partner with anyone who would outbid him, nor assist anyone
15. who would outbid him, for a period of a full year, in my presence and with a copy
16. of the Torah scroll (present). After this, the aforementioned Makārim went out
17. and went to al-Maṭariyya and met with a person called
18. Nāṣir the butcher, who is a ḍāmin from the
19. dīwān, may it flourish, and brought the aforementioned Sālim and outbid him
20. in his presence by twenty silver dirhams per month —
21. because the ḍamān for which he had been liable was forty, but he made it sixty —
22. and handed it over. This was established with testimony
23. from the most trustworthy people. When I brought him before me, he acknowledged all
24. of this brazenly. The master should know that our lord
25. the head of the yeshiva of the holy Torah, may the memory of the righteous be blessed,
26. issued a ban and a major excommunication against anyone
27. who outbids his colleague in his livelihood or dwelling,
28. and this was renewed and confirmed by our lord the Nagid, may his name endure
29. forever. This ignorant man took upon himself the punishment
30. in a scroll (?) in the court regarding this. So it was incumbent upon me
31. by law and reason to separate him from the holy seed
32. with excommunication and ban until he repents of his sin
33. and confesses and commits himself to what is legally required of him.
34. This poor man Sālim has threatened to tell
35. Nāṣir the ḍāmin: "Since you outbid (him) in the town,
36. they imposed the ḥerem on him." So perhaps in his kindness the master
37. can meet with the aforementioned Nāṣir and inform him that
38. Makārim owed Sālim a sum of ...
39. and denied it, and then the judge imposed
40. the ḥerem on him until he wrote an Islamic legal document.
41. When he was defeated and wrote the document,
42. he was ordered to give him some of his money, but he refused to
43. give him anything. Sālim asked the judges to bring
44. Makārim before our lord the qāḍī al-quḍāt to imprison him.

Recto, right margin

1. He said to him: "These are days
2. of fasting and holidays. I
3. will impose the ḥerem on him until there reaches you
4. something of what he owes." When
5. he imposed the ḥerem on him, he went to
6. al-Maṭariyya and outbid the aforementioned,
7. and nothing came of this. If
8. the master is able to persuade
9. the aforementioned Nāṣir the ḍāmin
10. with a bribe so that he reduces
11. Sālim's (obligation) from the sixty dirhams
12. by some amount, you would have ...
13. great reward, and you would
14. rescue him from hardship.
15. The master does not need
16. further urging in this matter.
17. God, for His name's sake,
18. will inscribe you among
19. those who fear the Lord and esteem His name.
20. Peace.