Legal document: T-S 16.23 + T-S 10J5.2

Description

Legal document. Record of release; partnership renewal. Written in the hand of Hillel b. ʿEli. These two fragments are part of single document, which contained a partnership release (T-S 16.23) and renewal (lines 23-39 of T-S 16.23; and T-S 10J5.2). Amat al-Qādir, widow of Shela, and her son Yefet (likely a minor), release ʿArūs b. Yosef from a partnership he had with Shela. Shela’s investment of three hundred dinars is to remain on account with ʿArūs. Amat al-Qādir seems to be acting as trustee for her son, but also seems to have a financial interest in the partnership; since she would not have ordinarily inherited from her husband, her equity in the partnership may represent payment of her ketubba. The widow and son are to receive two thirds of the profits from the investment, and ʿArūs is to receive the balance "as a claim for his service". Following the commenda model, ʿArūs assumes no responsibility for loss. Yefet is to travel between Fusṭāṭ and Yemen with the funds and has discretion in choosing the commodities he trades; he promises that he will work "with caution ... as if [he] were working with [his] own assets." (Information from Lieberman, "A Partnership Culture," 122)