Letter to His Brother, Moses

David ben Maymūn

1170

To my beloved brother R. Mos[es, son of R.] Maimōn, [may the] m[emory of the] r[ighteous be] b[lessed].

David, your brother who is longing for you—may God unite me with you under the most happy circumstances in his grace.

I am writing this letter from ‘Aydhāb. I am well, but my mind is very much troubled, so that I walk around in the bazaar and do…

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In this letter, David ben Maymūn tells his brother about his travels with a small caravan to ‘Aydhāb, Egypt, narrowly avoiding death and robbery on the way. Although his brother had warned him against it, David decided to travel on to India to trade. Years later, David drowned on another journey east, after his ship sank, around the year 1177.

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Related Guide

Correspondence in the Early Medieval World

7th to 12th Century

Creator Bio

David ben Maymūn

12th Century

David ben Maymūn, brother of Moses Maimonides, was born in Córdoba and eventually ended up with his family in Egypt. A businessman involved in trade along the Indian Ocean, David supported his scholarly brother during the period when he was writing the Mishneh Torah. Around the year 1177, David died while abroad, leaving behind a wife and young daughter. David’s significant financial losses on that trip forced Maimonides to begin earning a living on his own.

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