Letter to Nahray ben Nissim (II)

The letter of my master, the sheikh—may God lengthen your remaining [days] and make permanent your peace and happiness—arrived yesterday on the sixth-to-last day of the month of Elul—may God restore you in the coming holidays with many years [of life] and make them years of fortune and blessing and of receiving penance and repentance. May God let us see you with male children, and may they be remembered for long life. Your letter arrived after [my] longing for you [had become] great. What I gathered from the letter sickened, incensed, and tormented me with regard to the harsh decree and terrible calamity that has drained our strength, namely, the death of the lord, the meritorious one, crown of our head—blessed is the True Judge, the One who judges with righteousness and truth.

This Sabbath was for me and my family like the Sabbath of the Ninth of Av [that marks the destruction of Jerusalem]. We did not find strength in our hearts; instead there was our woe—we who live with this misfortune and drink these bitter cups. Our eyes were blinded, and our strength was cut off—we will cry over [his death] all the days of our lives. For there is no consolation after his passing. I swear by Jerusalem that many times I hoped for and [even] craved death. I became like those of whom it is said: They long for death but it does not come (Job 3:21), because I am suffering from the worries of this world and the greatness of the injury [it has caused] and the magnitude of its suffering and the scale of its destruction that has severed any hope. [The prophecy] is proven [by these events]: Faithfulness is perished and is cut off from their mouth (Jeremiah 7:28). Nothing remains except those who take your money by force while you watch. The most shocking thing is that Isaac, after we waited ten months for him to pay [back his debt], went to visit the graves of the patriarchs [in Hebron], and there he bought wheat in exchange for cloth that he had with him, and he was . . . . He mixed the good wheat with similar quality [wheat] that was worth a dinar and a third per qafīz [a dry measure]. I said to him, “I will take [wheat] from you at a dinar and ten [dirhams per qafīz, as payment for your debt].” But he said “I won’t sell it” and instead took the wheat to his place. We witnessed it. This was the end of our patience.

No more about this matter is known to me except that every dirham I invested with him cannot be recovered except by force, [as it is written]: They repay evil with good (Proverbs 17:13). May God Almighty repay everyone according to their intention.

While I was writing this letter, God granted me success [by summoning] two qafīz of pure gold wheat at three and a quarter dinars, and I saw other things.

Don’t worry, my lord; I’ve already sent them all the wood, olive [oil], and everything else they needed, including onions, salt, and other things. I would be delighted to fulfill any of their needs. In addition to these, they will receive three dinars from me for the sake of their needs. There is nothing they need that I have [that I will not provide]. In a little while, I will visit the house and ask them whether [they have any further] needs. There were people living in the house where they moved before they arrived, [so they spent] a whole month together with Abū Yūsuf’s mother and with the sheikh al-Sharābī, whose son married al-Balūṭī’s daughter. He was there in order to rent a house near the synagogue from a Muslim for five dinars for a whole year, and he gathered [the rent payment] before they entered the house, but when they presented the five dinars to [the Muslim landlord], he said, “Six dinars, no less.” This was a difficult affair for us. For when we agreed to the six dinars that were demanded, he started telling stories. In the end, we left the apartment and instead rented a small space from a Jewish woman for two dinars for a period lasting until the month of Muḥarram—that is, five months. The apartment is next to our colleagues, and it has all their needs. The bathhouse is close by, and it is in the Jewish quarter near the synagogue. With regard to the quarter dinars, I do not have the strength to describe what I did with that affair. There [remains] no merchant, nor grocer, nor wool seller to whom I did not offer [the dinars]. I sold them for thirty-nine quarter [dinars] which weighed 5 1/8 dinars at the price of twenty dirhams per dinar, the dirhams at the general exchange rate of 36.5 dirhams per dinar. Among those who bought them were people who paid me on credit, and among them were others who bought some, and the rest remains with them [probably, “our partners”]. The green [cloth] stuck to the red [cloth] that was dyed in Egypt. I sold the remainder that I paid 1.5 dirhams for to one who would re-dye it red, and it remains [with me]. I tried to [sell them]. But God placed a curse on them, and I wasn’t able to get even a dinar [from selling] them. Some of what I earned [from selling them I invested] in plums and glue and almonds and soap—but curses! I was not able [to sell them], and my heart will not allow me to remember [what happened]. Everything that I write in this letter makes me sigh. Perhaps death is imminent. But I was gladdened by what you mentioned about the peaceful arrival of the ship at Sicily and the success [of our colleagues on board] in [selling] goods. I entreat my lord to inform me of the names of the group [of merchants] who arrived on the Spanish ship. Similarly, for every other ship that comes, [please relay] all news, [recto, right margin:] [such that my knowledge will be] as if I was a witness to [their arrival].

Perhaps a letter came for me from Sicily or from any [other] place. Until now, Najá al-Ghulām [name of a boat or, perhaps, a person] has not arrived. May God inscribe peace for him [and bring about the arrival of this one in peace]. I did receive your letter, my master, the sheikh, a while ago, and it mentioned that you had collected the booklets that I had [kept] with R. Yeshu‘a, may God protect him. And among [those booklets] that arrived were some for R. Yisra’el, including two that concern the rules of grammar—[both of which] he should copy for you. [ . . . ]

I am already unable to write further on this matter. There are eight booklets, among them [legal] questions—in my hand, for our R. Samuel—concerning a woman who is a sorceress, and concerning a female donkey, and concerning a snake, and many [other such questions]. [ . . . ]

I was gladdened to hear that the Nile rose; may God see that it ends beneficially, and may He guide us and all Israel [to that end]. However, we in this city—we have not seen a happy ending, for the [price of] wheat is very high.

We have already fallen into a drought, may God better the outcome [of this affair], for we have nothing for our livelihood.

[Verso:] As of now, R. Nathan has not arrived from Damascus because he is traveling with R. Isaac, who told him, “Stay with me and I will give you a third of what I receive [from my sales].” However, he did not mention this [to others]—may God protect him. That is why I am writing on behalf of his wife two or three copies [of letters, to ascertain his whereabouts]. I await R. Nathan’s arrival. I am doing everything possible in this matter. With regard to R. Isaac: he is healthy. No one doubts what you said—may God protect you—regarding your concern for his health. May God who has healed him be praised.

Perhaps the defrayment that was with R. Maymūn arrived for me—if so, please inform me; similarly, my lord Abū ’l-Faḍl ibn Khalaf has a tab with me. But the greatest pleasure I could get would be to receive [confirmation] concerning your good health and other news, that you can tell me about, in the West, because I am here longing to hear news. I spend all day confined in the house. I read until the afternoon, and then I go out for an hour, observe, and then return for the Minḥah prayer. Your uncle, ibn Saḥlān, is with us in Jerusalem and is not well—may God Almighty heal him. He said that the cost of living has impoverished him, and that he’s found no one who will come visit him nor speak with him with respect, but the people may be forgiven, since there are those who may seek to do good things, but they [instead] get involved in things they did not desire. Sometimes, one of his relatives will go out to buy him what he needs. He lives in a house of Muslims. [No one] goes to visit him. If you have heard any news about the arrival of R. Isaac al-Andalūsī—may God protect him—please write me. My well-being depends on you—may God bring me news of your welfare. Also, please let me know if our master—may he live forever—has arrived in Egypt. May God make him very well. I am sending you, my master and sheikh, wishes for your best well-being. [I also wish] my master Abū ’l-Ḥasan and my master Abū ‘Alī—may God protect them—best well-being. The letter of Abū ’l-Faraj—may God guard him—arrived from Tyre; he is in perfect health. The boy [Assad?]—may God grant him well-being—is with him. I am informing you of this, peace to you.

[Verso, right margin:] The man who did business with me concerning the house of the sheikh Abū ’l-‘Alā died. These affairs happened with him, and he suffered for his action. Woe to us, how we have neglected our souls. May God inscribe you, my master, for a long life.

Address, in Arabic Script

To my master, the sheikh, Abū Yaḥya Nahray ibn Nissim.

May God lengthen his remaining [days] and make permanent his peace and happiness.

From Abūn ibn Tsedakah al-Maghribī, with his thanks.

[Send to] Fustāt, God Almighty willing.

‘Amir ibn al-Ḥusayn and his son; Ibrāhīm ibn Naja.

‘Umar ibn Yūsuf and his son.