Tuesday, May 02, 2006

Anyone know Judeo-Arabic?

From Cairo Geniza fragment T-S 8J14.18, described as Letter describing a visit to the house of Maimonides; Egypt; 12th century; Judeo-Arabic; paper.
What made Moses Maimonides laugh? Did he have a sweet tooth? Fascinating details of the daily lives of great men, hitherto only to be guessed at, are revealed in the multitude of personal letters included amongst the documents in the Cairo Genizah. In this report of a visit to the home of Maimonides, apparently to deliver a secret message, the anonymous author is overwhelmed by his host's hospitality and friendliness. "I kissed his noble hand and he received us with a most cordial welcome... there transpired that which a book would prove insufficient to describe... caskets were brought and he began to eat lemon cakes..."
I guess I'm interested in knowing what color the Rambam's shirt was. So who reads Judeo-Arabic?

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