Letter to His Wife

Solomon ben Yefet

ca. 1200

In [Your name!]

Just is the Lord in all his ways, etc. (Psalms 145:17)

The righteous man has gone, etc. (Isaiah 57:1)

Comfort, comfort my people, etc. (Isaiah 40:1)

From their father who is yearning after them,1 Solomon, son of Japheth, [may he] r[est in] E[den].

I am able to express only a fraction of my grief over the passing away of my lord, the…

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Solomon ben Yefet (Japheth) wrote this personal letter, in Judeo-Arabic and Hebrew, to his wife during a lengthy business trip in India. Traveling that far necessitated sustained absences from family, which were undoubtedly challenging for both the traveler and those left behind. It is possible that Solomon wrote this letter in Aden, Yemen, but it does not preserve an address and may never have been sent. Italics indicate Hebrew in the original.

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Related Guide

Correspondence in the Early Medieval World

7th to 12th Century

Creator Bio

Solomon ben Yefet

12th Century–13th Century

Not much is known about Solomon ben Yefet, a long-distance merchant who traveled to India at the end of the twelfth century.

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