Geniza Lab

Legal document in the form of a letter addressed to the Gaon (Maṣliaḥ?). In Judaeo-Arabic. Signed by Yefet b. Shelomo and Elʿazar b. [...]. The bearer of the letter is Yosef b. Berakhot ha-Levi. He and his brother Hillel ha-Levi had shown up to the local court escorted by a messenger of the qāḍī, since Yosef had sued his brother Hillel in the Muslim courts, and Hillel was under house arrest (tarsīm). The dispute is over a female slave. Hillel claims that he purchased her from Yosef for 21.5 dinars 'without mushāwara.' However, Yosef claims that he sold her only 'with mushāwara,' and moreover, he only received 14 dinars. Yosef was asked why he sued his brother in the Muslim courts, and he said that he demanded from Hillel multiple times that he return the female slave and take his 14 dinars back. But Hillel refused, and Yosef became angry and took an oath to sue him in the Muslim courts. What happened next is harder to understand, and the document needs further examination. It seems they put the female slave and the 14 dinars in escrow for the time being. Hillel brought two witnesses 'who live with them in אלב[..."—"al-balad" would be the most common word, but the next letter doesn't look like a ל; maybe al-Bahnasā. The brothers, equipped with a letter each, are now coming to the capital for their suit to be resolved. Joins: Oded Zinger and Craig Perry. Description: ASE.