Recto: Maimonides’ autograph draft of a 3-line poem he composed and included at the beginning of his philosophical work ‘Guide for the Perplexed’. Verso: letter in a different hand (not that of Maimonides) to Joseph b. Judah (possibly Ibn ʿAqnin, a student of Maimonides). The letter continues overleaf, along with jottings.Condition: Torn, holesLayout: various lines (recto); 19 lines + marginalia (verso)
Recto contains a piyyuṭ for Yom Kippur in the hand of ʿEli b. ʿAmram he-Ḥaver. Verso contains his poem in honour of ʿEli b. MevasserLayout: 38 lines (recto); 41 lines (verso); 2 columns (verso)
Responsum in the hand of Moses Maimonides. A schoolteacher was accused of making improper advances to an elderly widow. He insists on his innocence and feels the accusation was made maliciously. He would like to have his accuser and the other gossips in the community excommunicated, and Maimonides is asked to decide what should be done. Maimonides rules that without witnesses the woman’s testimony is invalid under Jewish law.Condition: TornLayout: 15 lines (recto; verso is blank)
Recto: legal query sent to Daniel b. ʿAzariah by the court of Fusṭāṭ, signed by ʿEli b. ʿAmram. The query regards the disposal of an estate, the trustee of which died while travelling from Alexandria to Sicily and was buried at sea. The ship on which the trustee had been travelling ended up going to Tripoli rather than Sicily. Now, the Bet Din of Fusṭāṭ and the Bet Din of Tripoli cannot agree on the ownership of the estate and the Gaʾon is asked to issue a ruling. Verso: poetry.Condition: Torn, holes, fadedLayout: 33 lines (recto); 26-33 lines (verso)