מכתב: T-S K25.62

תיאור

Note from a parent to a teacher. In Judaeo-Arabic. The text is quite clear, but it's difficult to figure out what the sender is trying to say. Something like: "My lord, I think you are occupying him with reading (al-qirāʾa) so that you can 'eat' his money. But let the schoolboys 'eat' (= benefit?). Also, when he wishes to review (yuʿīd), don't let him. If you want him to review old material, he might as well be alone. He is not a youth (ghulām) just anyone can recite to. He is a youth (ghulām) with the character of schoolboys (ṣibyān)." In some literary sources, ghulām and ṣabiyya are interchangeable terms for schoolchildren. But from the context here, ghulām seems to be a boy older than a ṣabiyy. There is also an unrelated line in Arabic script at 180 degrees (. . . ها ووفقها واحياها) and on verso some text from the Haggada. ASE