Cairo Genizah : Letter

Cairo Genizah

<p style='text-align: justify;'>Begging letter, in which the writer explains that he has arrived in Alexandria bringing three of his eight dependents with him. He is very ill and consequently reliant on the Jewish community’s charity, but has received very little support (only three zuzim) from the adminstrator of charity, the parnas. He wonders whether he has sinned against him or offended him in some way to deserve such poor treatment. He threatens that he may have to sell his ṭalleṯ, since he only has bread and onions in his house but he desires ‘meat and wine’.</p>