Cairo Genizah : Letter

Joseph b. Abraham

Cairo Genizah

<p style='text-align: justify;'>Part of a letter from Joseph b. Abraham in Aden to Abraham b. Yijū in India, ca. 1136-1139 CE. Joseph deals with various trading concerns, including white sugar, kohl, gum, Egyptian paper (‘small size’), copper, silk and arsenic. Joseph regrets not being able to send raisins as none are available in Aden at the moment. He then describes the actions taken regarding Abū l-Faraj b. Moses al-Baghdādī, a young man who had worked in partnership with Joseph before absconding from India via Sri Lanka (Ceylon). Joseph had legal proceedings issued against Abū l-Faraj, but asks that if Ibn Yijū knows Abū l-Faraj’s location, he should be very discreet. Joseph prefers to give Abū l-Faraj a further opportunity to choose the right path, but there will be consequences if he does not.</p>