קעו

And on Erev Shabbas — two people went down from the ship to spend holy Shabbas in the city mentioned above — for they thought it would not move until after holy Shabbas. We also had in mind to go down to the city on Erev Rosh Hashonah — in order to be there at the grave of Rabbainu Yaakov the author of the Tur who was buried there. But "many thoughts are in a man's heart" and so on. For on the night of holy Shabbas the wind changed. And the sailors were immediately angry that those two mentioned above had gone down from us into the city. And in the end they were compelled to return into the ship on holy Shabbas. And on Sunday — which was Erev Rosh Hashonah — the ship moved from Sakis.

And the two mentioned above who had been in the city told us that our brothers the children of Israel there — doers of kindness, sons of doers of kindness — had received them with great honor. And had told them of the greatness of the strength of the miracle that had happened to them in the past Passover — when there was then the war of the Greeks who surrounded the city. And the Israelites were within the fortress among the Ishmaelites. And in the war between the Ishmaelites and the Greeks — the Greeks asked the Ishmaelites to hand over to them ten Jews — and they would return to them in exchange for this many many Ishmaelites. And through the wondrous kindness of Hashem upon His people Israel forever — He put it into the heart of the Pasha who was not willing in any manner to give them even a fingernail of Israel. And the Israelites stood in danger all the days of Nisan until the end of Passover. And their eyes were spent each day that help would come to them from Istanbul. But the matter was greatly delayed. And on the sixth night of Passover — the strength of the miracle was manifest — that many soldiers came from Istanbul. And Hashem Blessed be He brought them with great speed — traveling in one night what would have taken several days. And through this — the Israelites were saved through His great kindness Blessed be He. And the Israelites there said that they intended to write a complete scroll about the strength of the miracle that had happened to them. And behold — on Erev Rosh Hashonah we left Sakis as mentioned. And praised be G-d — we immersed ourselves in the morning in the sea by ropes. Afterward — the holy and awesome day of Rosh Hashonah arrived. And praised be G-d — we had prayer leaders and shofar-blowers with the help of Hashem Blessed be He. And good to give thanks to Hashem — for I myself brought the shofar from Tzfas with the help of Hashem Blessed be He. For the man whose shofar this was had prepared a shofar to take with him on the road — and forgot it at his home. And afterward — when I left Tzfas the following week — they sent the shofar with me. And I immediately saw that it was from Hashem — that I would merit to be the messenger of this mitzvah — to bring the shofar. And we were on the ship nineteen men — aside from two women.