מכתב: T-S 13J22.4

תיאור

Letter from Mashā'il (=Misha'el?) b. Natan, location unknown, to Khalaf b. Barakāt b. al-Dayyān, in Fustat. In Judaeo-Arabic. The writer has had no news of the addressee's family ever since he traveled, so he asks them to write to him with their news (r5–12). He sends his gratitude to Umm Khalaf and to the wife of the ḥaver, Umm Bū ʿAlī, probably for their hospitality (r12–18). He is very worried on account of the children's sickness (ḍuʿf al-ṣibyān, r10 and probably r21 and v8). The letter is ambiguous, but these are likely his own children rather than children in the addressee's family. He asks the addressee to be diligent in 'doing the thing I mentioned with those people, for it will save our lives, with this weakness (ḍuʿf) we are in (again ambiguous: ḍuʿf can refer to illness or financial need or any difficult strait) (r18–22). The nature of this task is unclear, unless it simply refers to sending him a letter with their news. Verso consists of further regards and gratitude. (Information in part from Goitein's index card). VMR. ASE.