Geniza Lab

Fragment of a Judaeo-Arabic letter, probably from Yehuda b. al-ʿAmmāni to Me'ir b. Yakhin, mentioning the latter's brothers Hilāl and Saʿīd.

Small fragment of a letter, probably from a Moshe, mentioning the yeshiva (al-matība) and a female slave (jāriya).

Carefully written begging letter from a woman to the Nagid David Maimonides (probably David b. Avraham b. Moshe). In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: ca. 1237–1300. She is married to a tailor and lives on charity with her children in a house belonging to the Qodesh with no roof, and winter has just begun. Refers to a sum of 30 dinars, perhaps the delayed marriage payment she was owed but never received. It is possible that the letter was left unfinished. (Information in part from CUDL)

Letter. A Maghribi Karaite asks his wife in the most humble terms to come back to him in Cairo. Otherwise, he would marry a girl in the Rif. Goitein's transcription, translation, and commentary are attached. Also discussed in Zinger, "Long Distance Marriages."

Fragment of a note which on recto contains only formulaic praises and on verso contains an enigmatic sentence (something about "every Jew") and the name Abū l-Barakāt b. Eliyya.

Fragment from the opening of a deferential letter. On verso the writer mentions 'the tax' (? al-mās) and 'your promise'—perhaps he is requesting charity.

Letter (beginning only) from Muṣā b. Yosef to Yoshiyyahu Gaon. Dating: ca. 1020. Conveys extensive greetings. Information from CUDL.

Letter in beautiful Arabic script. The sender/petitioner says that despite his best efforts he was unable to get a dinar from that man, and now he is in difficult straits. He humbly asks the addressee for help.

Letter from Yeshuʿa b. al-Ṭabīb ('son of the physician') Ibn al-ʿAmmānī. Dating: late 11th or early 12th century, if this is the father of the well-known poet Aharon b. Yeshuʿa ha-Rofe Ibn al-ʿAmmānī (1109–43). The letter concerns 10 dinars, the sending of other letters, and a legal deed (sheṭar). I my opinion the hand is much later, 13th century (AA)

Letter from Saʿdān to ʿEli. In Hebrew and Judaeo-Arabic. The sender reports that he is prostrated in his house (maṭrūḥ fī l-bayt) and the doctor comes twice a day and "cuts his flesh with scissors" (wa-yaqṣuṣ laḥmahu bi-l-miqaṣṣ). Even worse is the poverty. The sender seems to be asking for money -- perhaps some of the money owed him by Abū Saʿīd -- in order to pay the doctor's fees. ASE

Elegies: all appear to be by the same author, including an elegy for a Gaʾon, צפע רוש הלעיטני, and for a woman. ‘Nathan b. Shemuʾel חזק’ is spelled in acrostic. (Information from CUDL)

Official letter in Arabic script. The ends of ~6 lines are preserved. Reused for Hebrew literary text (likely same scribe as T-S NS 111.63 and numerous others). Needs further examination.

Awaiting description - see Goitein notes linked below.

Maimonides's commentary on the Mishna, Sanhedrin, Perek Ḥeleq, p. 217 in the Qafih edition; identified by Amir Ashur.

Account in Arabic script, including items such as zayt ṭayyib and waraq. Needs further examination.

Literary, see FGP for identifications.

Fragment from a letter, possibly mentioning a deed(?) and the Talmud. Approximately 5 lines are preserved. Wide space between the lines. It is not clear if the paper originally extended farther to the left. If it did not and this was a narrow vertical rotulus, the format resembles formal letters such as T-S 20.145 + T-S AS 153.176 + T-S AS 153.177. This was written on a reused Arabic-script document, probably a state document, of which less than one word is still preserved. (Information in part from CUDL.)

A begging letter addressed to Yeshuʿa. The writer hasn’t eaten and requests bread. (Information from CUDL)

Letter to a traveling companion, who was accompanied by his wife or a servant, stating that he is sending him chickens and quails as provisions on his way. Script of early thirteenth century. (Information from Goitein.) There are the remnants of a few words in Arabic script on verso, from a prior document that the writer reused.

Family letter addressed to a certain Ibrāhīm. In Judaeo-Arabic. Rudimentary handwriting and orthography. The spellings are so unusual that the letter is hard to understand. It seems that the addressee is being chastised for his prolonged absence and the meager sums of money he sends home to support his wife ("even if you earned a dinar a day in your absence, the money wouldn't be enough"). The addressee is greeted by his wife and by Rivqa {and?} Abū Saʿīd. On verso the addressee is told to send a number of items for Passover, especially wheat. May mention "the one who beat your son." (Information in part from CUDL.)