מכתב: T-S 12.431

מכתב T-S 12.431

מטא-דאטא

מספר מדף
T-S 12.431
שפה עיקרית
Judaeo-Arabic

What's in the PGP

  • 1 Transcription
  • 1 Translation

תיאור

Letter from an unidentified writer to Eliyyahu the Judge. In Judaeo-Arabic. The writer conveys condolences for a death in the family of Eliyyahu (r6–9). He says that the blow is even harder to bear than his own trials with the sick woman (al-ṣaghīra) in his household. The rest of the letter is about this woman. (Motzkin identifies her with Eliyyahu's daughter-in-law Sitt Ghazāl, but he does not explain why.) The writer asks Eliyyahu to obtain a medical consultation with the Rayyis (Avraham Maimonides?) concerning the patient. The writer provides a detailed, albeit cryptic, account of her problems (r15–v1). First she withdrew from mingling with people (inʿazalat ʿan al-khalṭa—unless this refers to a khilṭ/humor) and remained either silent (sākita) or with some altered mental status (sābita). Those around her attributed this to the wakham (bad air/epidemic) and to her pregnancy. But in the fifth month of her pregnancy, she was afflicted with "dullness of mind (balādat khāṭir), irritability (ḍajar), confusion (taḥayyur), and disorientation (taghayyub)." The family members refrained from giving her any medicine to drink on account of the pregnancy. Finally, God had mercy and she gave birth. (Motzkin understood this as a miscarriage, but the letter does not. She could just as well have carried the fetus to term and given birth to a live child.) But, the writer continues, her situation is still unstable, and they anxiously await Eliyyahu's response with the Rayyis's advice. ASE

תגים

Additional metadata

Collection
Cambridge University Library, Taylor-Schechter
תאריך קלט
In PGP since 2017
תמונה
תיעתוק
תרגום

T-S 12.431 recto

recto
Alan Elbaum, unpublished editions (n.p., 2020).

recto

  1. כתאבי [אלי אלמולא . . . . אט]אל אללה בקאה
  2. וא[דאם עזה . . . . . . . ] ומן חסן אלתופיק לא
  3. [אכלאה . . . . . . . . . .פי כיר] ועאפיה [. . .]
  4. [. . . . . .] והו אלקאדר [עלי] דלך אן שא אללה תע
  5. וסוא דלך עלם אללה לקד תחצרנא עלי אלפרקה
  6. ולקד חצרתהא אע[צם?] מן . צת מציבתנא פי
  7. אלצגירה אללה [אלמסאול?] אן יצבר קלובכם ולא [ירינא]
  8. עליכם מכרוה פמא . . ת אן קליל תהא נפשה
  9. צרורה בצרור החיים וינחמכם מאבלכם ולא
  10. תסאלו מא נחן פיה נכרגו מן אלדאר נגלקו
  11. ונדכלו נפתחו ונחן מא נרקד אלליל מן גהת
  12. אלצגירה פאללה ירד אלעאקבה אלי אלכיר למען שמו
  13. פבחק דינ[נא] ירבי אליה תתפצל בגיר מא [. . .]
  14. תסתגמע באלריי[ס] שצ ותערפה אן אול
  15. [מא ח]צל ללצגירה אלנחס א[נ]עזלת ען אלכלטה
  16. [. .]ם מא ברחת סאכתה (או: סאבתה?) ונחן נקולו מן גה[ת]
  17. [אל]וכם ואלחבל אלי דכלת פי שהורהא כמס[ה]
  18. שהור חצל להא בלאדה כאטר וחצל להא
  19. צגר וחצל להא תחייר ות[ג]יב ומא
  20. תחצל להא שרב דוא מן גהת אלחבל
  21. תם לטף אללה וולדת ותכלצת ומא פי
  22. אל[. . .] מענא נזול [. .]ד [. . . . . .]
Motzkin, "The Arabic Correspondence of Judge Elijah and his Family" (PhD diss., n.p., 1965), 2.

Recto

  1. In (Your) N(ame, Oh) Mer(ciful).

  2. My letter [to the] most distinguished [master], may God lengthen his life,

  3. p[erpetuate his honored position] and deprive him not of the best of

  4. fortune] . . . . . . in g'o'o'd'n'e's's' and well-being . . .

  5. for he has mastery over it, God on high be willing.

  6. Now, then; God knows how grieved we were over the loss

  7. . . . . . her affliction greater than . . . . our misfortune in connection with

  8. the little one. We implore God to console your hearts and [protect]

  9. you from evil . . . . .  . . . . . may her life

  10. be bound in the bundle of the living and may He comfort you in your mourning. Don't

  11. ask us how we are. When we go out of the house we lock it,

  12. and open it when we enter. We don't sleep at night on account of

  13. the little one. May God make everything come out for the best , for his name's sake.

  14. By the truth of our religion, Rabbi Elijah, be so kind as to . . . . . . . .

  15. will get together with the Chief, (may his) R(ock) p(reserve him), and will inform him that the first

  16. who arrived at . . . . . . . of people, withdrew from the partnership

  17. on the day she departed . . . . .  . We say it was on account of

  18. her illness and pregnancy. She had entered her fifth month,

  19. and there was a general recession in the district which caused her

  20. a good deal of vexation. She got . . . . . . . .

  21. and she could not take medicines on account of her pregnancy.

  22. Then God alleviated the situation and she was delivered and gave birth, and there was not in

  23. the pregnancy [ . . .

T-S 12.431 verso

verso

verso

  1. והי פי כל סאעה מא תתבת עלי חאל
  2. ואד נחן מנתטרין גואב [. . . . . . . . .]
  3. ויעשה למען [. . . . . . . . . . . . . .]
  4. ואלסלאם עליך ועלי כל מן [. . . . . .]
  5. בה אלסלאם ואערצני עלם [. . . . מא]
  6. כתבת הדה אלאחרף אלא בל[. . . . .]
  7. [. . . . . . .] ושלמכם [. . . . . . . . .]
  8. [. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .]
  9. [. . .] כיף כת[בתה? . . . .] ושלום

verso, address

  1. الحبيب(؟) . . . . الشيخ ابن الاخ الم . . . ابي طاهر الم . . . ي ابن بو اسحق الصا . .

 

  1. يصل الى الشيخ الرىيس بن بو زكري الديان
  2. יצל אלי אלמולא אלאגל ר אליה הדיין החכם והנבון שצ

Verso

  1. And she was not able to get finally settled.

  2. We now expect a reply [

  3. from her to [

  4. Peace be upon you and upon whomever [you care about

  5. Avoid [

  6. writing this to [      ] except every [

  7. in His grace . . . . . .  . May your peace [increase and not diminish

  8. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

  9. . . . . how . . . .  .  And peace

Verso Address

May this letter come to the august master R. Elijah,

the wise and understanding judge, (may his) R(ock)

p(reserve him).

 

Cambridge University Library, Taylor-Schechter, T-S 12.431. Available online through the Princeton Geniza Project at https://geniza.princeton.edu/documents/7221/, accessed December 26, 2024.
https://geniza.princeton.edu/documents/7221/