Geniza Lab

Recto/verso: recto and verso

Letter 2, of which only one folio is preserved, is a pro-Babylonian response to a Palestinian polemic on the calendar of 921/2 and on the Four Gates. The folio begins with the end of the refutation of the Palestinians’ second argument. The Palestinians were arguing against the Four Gates, with a rather spurious claim that the Four Gates are incomplete because they only account for four days of the week (the days on which the New Year is allowed to fall). This letter responds that in the Four Gates, every period of time ends where the next one begins, so that the full week is covered from end to end; moreover, some days of the week are mentioned more than once in the Four Gates (fol.4r:1-5). The third argument concerns the rule of 641-642 parts. Our author misinterprets the rule as applying equally to Nisan and to Tishri, which enables him to refute it easily (fol.4r:5-14). After this begins a misplaced text, which belongs before the beginning of this folio. Here the author finishes his refutation of the first argument, and refers to the distortion to the Four Gates through the addition of 641 parts to all the limits (fol.4r:14-16). After begins the second argument (fol.4r:16 – 4v:19). After the end of the misplaced text, the text resumes with the third argument (fol.4v:19-21).