Dublin Core
Title
Subject
Description
Baladre, whose will demonstrates that she had significant assets, had two living sons, one from each of her marriages. She also had a daughter, Dolza. A third son, Haninai, seems to have predeceased his mother and left a minor son named Shelomo. Baladre's son with her second husband, an adult named Shelomo, is the executor, with the assistance of her nephew Yehoshua Ha-Levi.
She takes great concern to support her grandson, the minor named Shelomo, who receives all of her "boilers and bronze syringes" as well as real estate in the form of a garden, whose boundaries are spelled out in the will. She names as tutor and guardian for the young Shelomo his mother, Boneta, the widow of her late son Haninai, spelling out that Boneta have "full power" along with the older Shelomo to control the assets Baladre leaves to the young boy.
She leaves goods and money, including clothing, to her children. She notably bequeathes her synagogue seats to her daughter Dolza, son Shelomo, and grandson Shelomo in a bequest that seems to give ownership to the son and grandson, but lifetime usufruct of one seat to the daughter. Her son from her first marriage, Moshe, receives 100 sous, bedclothes, and some clothing. She also leaves money and clothing to her maid Astruga. Apparently a businesswoman of some sort, perhaps engaged in money lending, Baladre leaves funds that are owed to her in debt documents to her son and grandson. She also leaves 340 sous as charity for the poor.
TRANSLATION:
(AHG: Gi 2, 72 Hecodavant 5)
We, the undersigned witnesses, went to visit Ms. Bladre, widow of Rabbi Ya‘aqov son of Rabbi Haninai, who was sick and we found her lying in her bed. The words that came out of her mouth were coherent and she was in her sanity to answer yes when it was yes and not when it was not, just as a healthy person that walks through the market would. She said to us: Here I am sick and I fear to die of this disease, thus please be the witnesses of my testament which I
command in view of death. I separate for the poor 340 sous of pešitin (simples) from the Barcelonan currency [common] in this city. This will be in any case of purchase or sale of the debt document worth 500 Barcelonan sous which pledged in front of me my son Rabbi Šelomoh and his wife Ms. Reina, as is [written] in the mentioned debt document. Here I designate treasurer of the aforementioned Heqdeš Rabbi Yehošua‘ ha-Levi, the son who bore my sister Ms. El[..]a to her husband Rabbi Šelomoh ha-Levi, son of Rabbi Yixhaq. And in relation to this matter I have separated the mentioned 340 sous for the poor. These will be paid in installments by my son, Rabbi Šelomoh aforesaid, from now until the next Roš Hašanah. The first installment will be of 30 sous of such currency which will be delivered [.] to the Rabbi Yehošua‘ ha-Levi aforesaid and distributed in the indicated time as deemed appropriate. And so it will be that my son, Rabbi Šelomoh aforesaid, will pay the installments to the Rabbi Yehošua‘ ha-Levi aforesaid. Rabbi Šelomoh aforesaid will pay from the aforementioned debt document 30 sous of the mentioned currency destined to the Heqdeš. This will be in the eve of Roš Hašanah each year until they have completed the 340 sous mentioned. My son, Rabbi Šelomoh aforesaid, will be present at the moment of the distribution with the aforementioned Rabbi Yehošua‘ ha-Levi, as long as my son will be in this city.
And I also grant and give from the aforementioned debt document for the benefit of my son, Rabbi Mošeh, which I gave birth to my first husband Rabbi Abraham Cabrit, 100 sous of such currency that will be charged from the aforementioned debt document after one year of my death.
Also I order my son, Rabbi Šlomoh aforesaid, to pay from the mentioned debt document one year after my death, 60 sous of the said currency and deliver to the hands of the aforesaid Rabbi Yehošua‘ ha-Levi in order to buy a gravestone to put over my tomb.
Also I order my heirs to give from my property to my son, Rabbi Mošeh aforesaid, 100
sous of the said currency, who will take possession of them immediately after my death.
And I also order and give to my son, Rabbi Mošeh aforesaid, all the linen of my bed inwhich I lie, as it is. There is a bedspread and a mattress [..] and coverlet and bedsheet and [..].
And I also grant and give to my son, Rabbi Mošeh aforesaid, my new Serval of black brunet clothes.
And I also grant and give to Astruga, daughter of Ixaq Tensa, my maid, 10 sous of such currency, and she will take possession of them from my monetary goods immediately after my death.
Also I grant and give to her my middle Serval and my dark blue coat with the rabbit furs, and up to 10 sous of the said currency from another pledge I have. The rest of the attires I have, except the aforementioned clothes I have given, I grant and give to my daughter Ms. Dolça, wife of Ixaq Sardan. She will take possession of them immediately after my death.
Also I give and grant to my daughter Ms. Dolça, already mentioned, in order she can sit all the days of her life, and no more, the same seat that I have in the Synagogue of this city in the lower gallery of the women...
(AHG: Gi 2, 72 Hecodarrere 9)
... the aforesaid Šelomoh, son of my son Rabbi Haninai, already mentioned, all boilers and bronze syringes I have, and all the garden that I possess at the limit of this region in the place called ses Savaneres, that I have in possession under property [...] door [...] and I [...] of it for that property, according to a known law, each year 10 sous of the said currency. And these are the boundaries of the garden: the Eastern boundary is the garden of the gentile Bernad Bobés, the Southern boundary is the garden of the gentile Jaqme of [...], the Western boundary is the garden of the gentile Grau Gorday and the Northern boundary is a public property.
And I also grant and give to my son Rabbi Šelomoh and the young Šelomoh, already mentioned,
the same seat mentioned above and marked with those signs. This is in the condition that [...] to my daughter the right to sit all the days of her life, and no more, in the mentioned seat marked with those signs. And I also order and give to the aforementioned Rabbi Šelomoh and to the young Šelomoh, son of my son, all the half that I Baladre possess of the three seats that are in the lower gallery of women in the same row that is sorted in a north-south direction and is bordering with the western wall of the gallery and [...] facing to the east and having its back to the west wall. To the right of these there is the seat of the representatives of Rabbi Šelomoh Bonafed and to the left there is the seat of the representatives of Rabbi Re’uben son of Rabbi Mošeh Qurtubí. The third on the right is the seat of the representatives of Rabbi Mošeh ha-Cohen son of Rabbi Binyamin and to his left there is the seat of Rabbi Yonah son of Rabbi Benveniste. The other half of these three seats was divided into inheritance, by virtue of my lord the elderly Rabbi Abraham Cabrit, between my son, the said Rabbi Mošeh, Rabbi Mošeh the son of Rabbi Šmu’el Cabrit
and Rabbi Mošeh the son Rabbi Yixhaq Cabrit. I have also given to my son the aforementioned
Rabbi Šelomoh and to the young Šelomoh, son of my son Rabbi Haninai already mentioned, two seats I own in the gallery of women. One is [on the row] that is sorted from north to south [...] in the eastern wall of the gallery. To the right there is the seat of the representatives of Rabbi [...] ha-Cohen son of Rabbi Šelomoh and to the left there is the mentioned seat of the representatives
of Rabbi [...] already mentioned. And the whole seat I have in the gallery of women in the same row sorted in an east-west direction and adjacent to the north wall of the gallery [....] to the South. After that, in the north wall, to the right, there is the seat of Rabbi Haninai son of Rabbi Šelomoh, son of Rabbi Me’ir [may his memory be for blessing] [...] seat of the mentioned Rabbi Yehošua‘ ha-Levi.
The rest of the goods I have [............] whether land, monetary assets, debt documents, whether movable property or property documents, I grant and give to distribute among my son, Rabbi Šelomoh and the young Šelomoh, son of my son Rabbi Haninai already mentioned, of which will take possession immediately after my death.
Here I nominate tutor and responsible for all the assets that I have left to the young Šelomoh, son of my son, already mentioned, to his mother Ms. Boneta, widow of my son, the mentioned Rabbi Haninai. I grant her full powers over all assets I have given as an inheritance to her son named above. Shall have full power, she and my son, the mentioned Rabbi Šelomoh, for [...] and deduct from the debtors and guarantors who are listed in my documents of debt, the entire fund of the loan, as well as the profit owed to me. They may also collect them at the deadlines and hand in notes and bills, general and private, without needing the permission of any court or person. All these things ordered before us Ms. Baladre in view of death.
And it has been that due to this disease, Ms. Baladre passed away; may life be with us and may comfort be with all Israel! All this happened before us on the third day of the month of Av of the year 5085 of the creation of the world, according to the reckoning that we follow here in the city of Ierunda, and we have written, we have signed and we have delivered it into the hands of Rabbi Šelomoh son of Rabbi Ya‘aqov already mentioned, and to the young Šelomoh son of Rabbi [Haninai].
(Translation from Pérez, "The Testament of a Jewish Woman," 238-40.)
For IMAGE and TRANSCRIPTION, see Pérez, relevant file pages attached.