מסמך משפטי: T-S 18J1.11

תיאור

Legal testimony. Location: Fustat. Dating: one of the last days of Ṭevet 1393 Seleucid, corresponding to one of the first days of January 1082 CE. The witnesses state that they were present in the Babylonian synagogue along with Yehuda b. Ḥayyim and that some of them spoke with Yosef b. Elʿazar, asking him to declare a ban of excommunication against the convert known as Abū l-Khayr and his brother-in-law Zikrī. However, they emphasize that Yehuda b. Ḥayyim was not involved with this request. When the synagogue was mostly empty, this Abū l-Khayr came in and took out the Torah scroll and declared a ban of excommunication against everyone who wrongfully excommunicated him. The witnesses state that Yehuda spoke with a certain Abū l-Faḍl b. Sukkar(?) but did not assault him. They state that Yehuda also rebuked Abū l-Khayr for the ban of excommunication that he declared, but did not lay hands on him. Nevertheless, on Saturday night, the raqqāṣīn came from Cairo and arrested Yehuda and others, jailing them in the 'shurṭa' in Fustat. On Sunday, the men were brought up to Cairo and were beaten and tortured for several days. 52 dinars were extorted from Yehuda, including a sealed purse of 50 dinars and 2 dinars for the police (the rajjāla and the shurṭa). Yehuda b. Ḥayyim requested that this testimony be drawn up for him, presumably after his release. (Information in part from Mediterranean Society, II, pp. 306, 592, from CUDL, and from Goitein's detailed summary which is attached.)