Legal document: T-S 13J16.5

Legal document T-S 13J16.5

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Letter from Judge Eliyyahu to his colleague David ha-Kohen in Bilbays addressing a query; asks whether one Bushr, daughter of Asad, had formally dissolved a previous engagement and is free to remarry.

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T-S 13J16.5 1r

1r
Motzkin, "The Arabic Correspondence of Judge Elijah and his Family" (PhD diss., n.p., 1965), 2.

Recto

  1. I am a companion to all who fear Thee.

  2. To the dignity, honor, greatness and holiness of our master and teacher David ha-Kohen, the exalted H'a've'r,

  3. the wise and understanding, (may his) Ro(ck) prese(r v e ) him; from Elijah , son of R . Zechariah [m(ay his) s(oul be) b(ound) in (the bundle of) the (living)] who loves him as he does himself.

  4. I inform you of my great longing for you and of my having been

  5. quiet occupied. This limited my determination and my ability to fulfill my duty toward the like of you,

  6. especially as I do not cease thinking about it for several reasons. May God, then,

  7. help you in religious as well as worldly affairs for His sake. And may the merit

  8. of your father (the virtuous and honorable master, who fulfills (the commandments) and knows them well) intercede for you

  9. as well as for us. May your blessings not cease for us. Your house is the beauty of the community,

  10. may God give you success so that He, the exalted, may be satisfied with it, and may He also give us success for the sake of His name.

  11. We inform you, may your strength not cease, that a young woman - her name is Bushr - a daughter of Asad

  12. son of al-Sali'ar, the auctioneer in the bazaar of the wool-merchants, came with her mother

  13. Nasab, daughter of Abu'I-Mans'u'r, to court, in order to marry her daughter,

  14. the one named Bushr - a young woman who is of age - to a

  15. Cairene. We then inquired about her and asked a man of her people who knows her - - -

  16. Abu' al-'Ala" son of al-Nusha'diri', the silk merchant — and they said

  17. that this young woman - being of age - was engaged to a young man.

  18. We could not establish anything certain about their case, and what happened to them,

  19. from which it could become clear that a connection between them no longer exists and which would therefore remove any doubt in the matter.

  20. Our lord, therefore, may his glory be exalted, ordered that we write to our patron

  21. a letter in which we would inform him of the matter, so that he would write us an unequivocal

  22. letter about their affair - quickly, for her mother

  23. mentioned that she appeared before your late father of blessed memory

  24. and it was in your presence and in the presence of the revered colleague R. Solomon, (may his) Ro(ck) prese(rve) him,

Recto Margin

  1. and a group (of people)

  2. and they made a settlement

  3. with the person who was engaged

  4. to the young woman about eight

  5. months ago and that they released

  6. each other from

  7. any right which may attach them

  8. to each other. Be so kind then

  9. to hurry and summon to you

  10. this Jacob

  11. and establish from him that he had released

  12. his above mentioned fiancéé

  13. and her mother; we have already established from the young woman

  14. that she had released him.

T-S 13J16.5 1v

1v

Verso

  1. from any right which may connect him to her, and any other condition,

  2. and further, that she disliked his company, and that he mentioned in your presence

  3. that he disliked her and that he was unable to support her.

  4. [This was also] in the presence of the Sheikh Aaron and in the presence of . . . . and that they separated

  5. by their ritual releases, and they then split off.

  6. We likewise established from her mother that she

  7. had released him and had absolved him. Now if these things are

  8. remembered by you, then you can dispense with making the above mentioned Jacob appear before you

  9. and with getting testimony about it again after their having made a settlement

  10. in your presence. So please make all effort that he appear before you under all circumstances if the matter is as

  11. has been described, so that you may reply quickly. After (all this I write) special greetings,

  12. best of regards and greetings, and respect

  13. to all our brethern, the wise and dear H'ave'ri'm -

  14. God give them success - and to Sheikh Khalaf the Kohen, your brother (God protect him)

  15. and to your children - best regards - and to the Sheikh R. Joseph

  16.               and his loving son Solomon, may he arrive [soon]

Verso Margin

  1. and to] the cantor Yeh'i'[e'l]

  2. best regards.

  3. Please inform him that I sent

  4. with Abu' Nas'r Ibn Elisha

  5. thirty dirhems to deliver to his wife,

  6. may God compensate him. Regards to the exalted patron, our master and teacher Isaac, the wise and understanding

  7. best regards, greetings and respect.

  8. and to all the Holy Community

  9. best regards, greetings and respect.

  10. Give my regards to the exalted master R.

  11. Jacob, Head of the Community, Elder of the Congregation

  12. and to all the elders, may God keep them

  13. and may your peace increase.

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