מכתב: ENA NS 51.24

תיאור

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic, with the address in Arabic script. Dating: likely 11th century. The name of the addressee may be Abū l-Faḍl Sahl b. Saʿd al-Baghdādī. Opens with an unusual discussion of the sighting of the moon: the crescent of Ṣafar is seen on [Wednesday?] in the morning in the east and Thursday in the evening in the west; the crescent of Rajab is seen on Monday in the morning in the east and then in the west until the night of the 7th(?) day. This would suggest that the sender and addressee are Qaraites, and in fact two of the famous Tustarīs were named Abū l-Faḍl Sahl (though neither is identical with the addressee because "b. Saʿd al-Baghdādī" does not match). Most of the rest of the letter consists of greetings. People mentioned: Avraham b. [...] Rabīʿ; the addressee's sister; Abū Manṣūr Hillel b. Yosef; Ibn al-Ṣabbāgh. Verso: In addition to the address of the letter, there is an list in Arabic script.