Geniza Lab

Letter fragment of thanks from Daniel b. Azarya (1051-1062) to the parnas.

Letter from Yehuda b. Aharon b. al-ʿAmmānī, in Alexandria, to Abū l-Majd Meir b. Yakhin (Thābit), "the Glory of the Cantors," in Fustat. Dated: 14 Iyyar, 1216 CE. The letter contains information about a communal conflict between Anatoli the Judge and Yehuda's paternal uncle—Ṣadoq b. Shemuel b. al-ʿAmmānī—and his son Mufaḍḍal. (Frenkel suggests this is the same case against a judge that Yehuda mentions in T-S 13J21.25, but that letter was written in 1208.) Ṣadoq had made a taqqana and collected signatures of important Alexandrians such as Abū Saʿd b. Nānū and Bū l-Rabīʿ al-Kohen in order to appoint his son Mufaḍḍal to lead the congregation (as judge?), but Mufaḍḍal is young, beardless, and unmarried, and therefore regarded as unfit to lead the congregation over an older, distinguished man. Moreover, Ṣadoq went to the Nagid Avraham Maimonides for approval of the taqqana behind the back of Anatoli the Judge, who was understandably angry when he heard. It seems that Mufaḍḍal has been shunned by most of the population for the last few months. Yehuda himself is waiting for the Nagid to respond with a fatwa to a query of his own, and he is resentful that the Nagid does not recognize that Yehuda is the one who is managing all the affairs of the synagogue, while his uncle is addicted to wine and incompetent (Med Soc V, 39 and 516, n. 148). Yehuda mentions the Tāj (the Aleppo Codex) "which was written and pointed by Ben Asher or Ben Naftali" in the last line of the main text on verso. The addressee Abū l-Majd was recently sick, and others in his household still are. See also T-S 16.305, a letter written in spring 1217 in which Yehuda thanks Avraham Maimonides for resolving the conflict between him and his uncle. Information in part from Frenkel and from Gotein's note card. ASE.

Part of a letter, possibly to [Ṭoviyyahu ha-Kohen b.] ʿEli ha-Kohen he-Ḥaver ha-Meʿulle, which refers to sending a letter to 'the distinguished prince' (השר הנכבד) Saʿadʾel 'our nephew' and also to 'the dear elder' Yeter ha-Levi and to 'The Lady' (הגבירה) 'our niece'. (Information from CUDL)

Letter from Daniel b. Azarya to Eli b. Amram, Fustat. Daniel instructs Eli how to summon to the court. On the other side the letter from Eli b. Amram to Daniel b. Azarya. (Information from Gil, Palestine; and Goitein's index cards) VMR

Very blurred letter to the Nasi and the Head of the Diaspora (David b. Daniel?) asking for assistance for hungry people. The needy person is probably Shelomo b. Abraham, named at the bottom of the page. MY. (Information from Goitein's index cards)

Letter, probably written by Elazar ha-Kohen b. Shelomo, who worked for the addressee, sending condolences for the death of the dowager and asking for assistance. (Information from Goitein's index cards)

A booklet containing copies of eight letters by Rav Sherira Gaon and one letter by Rav Hayye Gaon. End of the 10th century. The letter by Rav Hayye Gaon is addressed to the sister of Yosef b. Ḥasan b. Bundār, probably a community leader in Northern Iraq. All letters mainly deal with financial matters; the first seven mention places in Yemen. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, pp. 83-84.)

Deed of guardianship given in the court of Eliyyahu Ha-Kohen Gaon b. Shelomo, August 1065. (Information from Gil, Palestine, Vol. 3, p. 25.)

Deed of guardianship given in the court of Eliyyahu Ha-Kohen Gaon b. Shelomo, August 1065.

Legal document, written under the authority of the Nagid Samuel, concerning the repayment of a loan. Mentions people including Abū l-Ḥasan Yefet b. Mevoraḵ (known as Ibn al-Ḥaver), Abū Faḵr the perfumer, and Abū [...] Abraham. Signed by Abraham ha-Kohen b. Aaron and Yefet b. David, and dated 1457 of the Seleucid Era (= 1146 CE). (Information from CUDL.) See also Goitein's index card.

Legal document written and signed by Ḥalfon b. Menashshe. Dated: Monday, 15 Iyyar 1440 Seleucid, which is 1129 CE. About the valuable goods (aʿlāq) from a ketubba which were with a wife who stayed with her sister (l. 15). Her father Avraham ha-Kohen had some of them. The fragment opens with the end of the list (ll. 1-8). The role of Peraḥya is not clear (l. 18). Signed also b. Natan b. Shelomo ha-Kohen and Natan b. Shemuel he-Ḥaver. (Information from Goitein's index card.)

Court record mentioning Abū Mufaḍḍal Menaḥem and Ibn ʿAnbarī. Written under the authority of Abraham Maimonides (b. Moses Maimonides) and dated 1536 of the Seleucid Era (= 1225 CE). (Information from CUDL.) See also Goitein's index card.

Upper part of list, in the hand of judge Shemuel b. Saadya (see Bodl. f56.43c), on the reverse side of a document issued on the authority of Maimonides in spring 1172 (and copied by Mevorakh b. Natan). The contributions are partly in dinars (one-fourth - two, the latter sum appearing four times), partly in dirhams. Practically all the names recur in contemporary lists of donors to charity, but because of the dilapidated state of the manuscript no general conclusions are possible. Of the 16 persons whose names are discernible in the left column, four give together with their partners. Dated to last third of twelfth century (see Mediterranean Society, II, App. C 116, Bodl. f56.52, where Goitein speculates that this and other stray lists might have formed part of one booklet). (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, 485, App. C 35)

Legal document. Record of release. Dated: February 1172. Location: Fustat. The record, emerging from the court of Maimonides, involves Ghalīb al-Bilbaysī b. Ṣedaqa, agent of Sayyid al-Kull Moshe b. ʿAbdallāh (ʿOvadya) Ibn al-Ḥallā the ḥazzan, who releases Abū al-Makārim Nadiv ha-Levi b. Moshe ha-Levi and his son Abū ‘Imrān from a partnership. At the time of release, Nadiv paid Ghalīb some hundreds of dinars, of which 10 dinars had come from his son from a deposit which Moshe had left with him subject to the laws of partnership (torat ‘isqa). Nadiv seems to have collected a debt from Abū ‘Alī al-Qarā in Upper Egypt on behalf of Moshe; these may have been funds due the partnership. (Information from Lieberman, "A Partnership Culture," 207)

Legal document. Location: al-Maḥalla. Concerning the sale of a piece of land. Involves Nāshī b. Menaḥem, Mevorakh ha-Sar, ʿOvadya the Elder b. Fahd and Isaac b. Judah. Written by Judah b. Samuel b. Judah and witnessed by Solomon, Aaron b. Yešuʿa the doctor, Jacob (?) ha-Kohen b. Mubḥar and Yefet ha-Levi b. Mevoraḵ. Dated 1420 of the Seleucid Era (= 1109 CE). (Information from CUDL.) See also Goitein's index card.

Legal document(s). Very faded/damaged. In the hand of Ḥalfon b. Menashshe. Dated: 1 Ḥeshvan 1450 Seleucid, which is 1138 CE, under the authority of Maṣlīaḥ Gaon. A court record for a release given by Sitt al-Nasab bt. Yūsuf. Probably involving her husband and support he provided while away. There is another document on the other side of the fragment, also involving Sitt al-Nasab and mentioning her husband ʿAmram b. Avraham. (Information in part from Goitein’s index card and from CUDL)

Legal document. Dated: Tishrei 1483 Seleucid, which is 1171 CE, under the authority (reshut) of Maimonides. Sitt al-Ḥusn bt. Moshe, the widow of Abū l-Khayr wishes to marry Abū ʿAlī b. Abū l-Ḥasan al-Kohen and asks her elder son Abū Naṣr to release her. The court warns him that he will be responsible for his younger brother. Unsigned. (Information from CUDL and Goitein's index card.)

Testimony fragment of a loan from 1224 in the hand of Shelomo b. Eliyyahu.

Legal document in the form of a letter written and signed by Yiṣḥaq (b. Shelomo b. Meʾir) he-Ḥaver, grandson of Meʾir Gaʾon (in office 912–21, the father of Aharon b. Meʾir of the calendar controversy). Addressed to Efrayim b. Shemarya. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Ca. 1030 CE or shortly thereafter, since Efrayim is titled "ḥaver." Gil deduced that Yiṣḥaq lived in ʿAkkā (Acre) based on identifying him with the Yiṣḥaq he-Ḥaver mentioned in T-S 10J20.9, r8, 10. The content is quite tricky to understand. It mentions Abū l-Ḥusayn Ibn al-Andalusī, ʿAllūn al-Ṣahrajtī, and Abū Khalaf, the friend/partner (ṣāḥib) of Abū Saʿd. Also mentions the judge Yosef b. Azhar. Bareket says the letter is about business matters and that it attests to Efrayim b. Shemarya's stature as a businessman in addition to being a communal leader. But in fact this seems to be a court record within a letter (as Goitein's index card suggests). It mentions testimonies, a power of attorney, and it has two witness signatures. Apart from the signature of Yiṣḥaq, there is the signature of [Avraham?] b. Yaʾir ha-Shofeṭ. On verso there are a few undeciphered lines in Arabic script (another address? names of mail carriers?) at 180 degrees to the name of Efrayim b. Shemarya. (Information in part from CUDL and Bareket.)

Draft of a resolution to appoint the cantor Abū Sahl Levi b. al-Ahuv after he distinguished himself during a period of trial. (Information from Goitein's index card.)