Geniza Lab

Recto: Legal agreement between Nissim Mosseri b. Ḥayyim and Yosef al-[...] b. [...], from Fustat/Cairo, September 1829 CE (Elul 5589). The document is mostly in Hebrew but is about al-ḥūjjah (the deed?) for al-vīlah (the house?) and a deposit of 500 gerushim arayot. Interestingly the deed is referred to as "the legal deed that is registered in the jāmiʿ al-ḥākimī." Verso: Accounts for 19 Elul 5589.

Fragment (lower left corner) of a medieval legal document including the names Aharon b. ʿAmram and the witnesses [...] ha-Kohen b. Saʿīd and [...] b. Yiṣḥaq.

Recto: Several drafts of legal documents. Item #1: Legal document regarding a business partnership (but not the original partnership agreeement), from Fustat/Cairo, dated January 1790 (end of Tevet 5550), between Yiṣḥaq Aripol b. Shelomo who lives in Fustat/Cairo and Moshe b. Nehoray Torongi (?) who lives in Istanbul ["Costa"]. Item #2: Drafts of a document regarding a partnership between the same Moshe Torongi and Yaʿaqov Bibas. Item #3, at a right angle: Draft of a betrothal document for Seʿadya Angel (?) b. Avraham and Galiya (?) bt. Ḥayyim Madikhah (?). Verso: Contains some text from a legal document with 5 elaborate witness signatures (but at least two belong to the same person--perhaps someone is practicing their signature?). Also contains an account, a draft of a letter, and medical prescriptions for an infertile woman, all at different angles.

Recto: Fragment of a medieval legal document mentioning 6 cold coins and "my brother Yiṣḥaq." Verso: In a different hand, jottings in Hebrew and Judaeo-Arabic, significance unclear.

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic (1819 CE?) from Me'ir ben Naʿim to David ben Naʿim. Information from Wagner, Linguistic Variety of Judaeo-Arabic, 24.

Nearly complete letter in Judaeo-Arabic to "my brother." Alludes to selling items in the Rif and reports that other goods have safely arrived. Many of the commodity names are obscure. Needs further examination.

Fragment of a legal document.

Letter from Daniel Levi Mondolfo to Avraham Krispin. In Ladino. Dating: 18th or 19th century. The sender signs his name in both Hebrew script and Latin script. He discusses previous correspondence between his location and Fustat/Cairo. Mentions his brother-in-law Efrayim, Se. סיוואיגרו, and Se. טילקי. Today, Yisrael Nunes received a shipment of garments, and he will send what was ordered as soon as the items are unloaded from the ship, along with the tobacco. On verso there is the remnant of a seal (red wax?) and part of the address, of which only the word Rashīd (Rosetta) is preserved. ASE.

Letter, late, in Judaeo-Arabic from Yosef Yaʿveṣ to Ya'aqov Yaʿveṣ (or Yuʿbaṣ?). Information from Wagner, Linguistic Variety of Judaeo-Arabic, 24.

Letter in Ladino signed by David Levi Mondolfo, who may be identical with the relatively well-documented man of the same name who was born in Trieste in 1797 and died outside Treviso in 1864.

Recto: calligraphic text in Hebrew, with blessings to a group of people. Letter? Verso: short note in Arabic. Accounts? The word "dinar" and the number "four" appear several times.

Letter in Ladino from Reʾuven Miris or Mires and addressed to Avraham Krispin (Crespin) who on the address section is listed as being in "Mitzraim" (Cairo). In the heading this letter is dated 1787 CE (Iyyar [5]547). A wide array of numerical figures are expressed in silver medin coinage, which appears here though the abbreviation " מאיי ". The author also mentions having received a letter from Shmuel Hanan ("חנן" l. 14r) via Izmir. The Mediterranean sea itself is also mentioned in the phrase "אי סוברי לה מאר" (l. 12r). The verso appears to have been reused for numerical calculations. MCD.

Recto: Bottom half of a legal document in Arabic, probably late. Verso: Two columns of Arabic text with signatures underneath, probably legal documents as well. Needs further examination.

Legal document in the hand of Ḥalfon b. Menashshe. Fragment (lower right corner). Location: New Cairo. No details of the case preserved; might have to do with a house or construction ("...idhā ʿumirat...")? The phrase "mā yujtabā" is also preserved, but unclear what this means.

Biblical verses. Conceivably from the opening of a letter.

Court record about a debt. April 12, 1076. A person from the Ibn Awkal, declares that he owes 14 dinars to Yefet ha-Kohen b. Yeshua b. Kasasa, and commit to pay his debt one dinar a month. It seems like he commits not to use a different deed that was approved in a Muslim court. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 4, #844) VMR

Trousseau list for the marriage of Sitt al-ʿIzz and Yeter ha-Levi. On parchment. In the hand of Mevorakh b. Natan b. Shemuel. The value of the trousseau amounts to 530 dinars, plus 50 for the delayed marriage payment (meʾuḥar). Verso contains undeciphered Arabic script. (Information from Goitein’s index card)

Legal document. Written and signed by Hillel b. ʿEli Location: Fustat. Dated: Tammuz 1395 Seleucid, which is 1084 CE. Declaration by Abū Naṣr Avraham b. Yeshaʿya b. David b. Yeshaʿya that he has no claims against his father-in-law the pharmacist (ṣaydalānī) Abū l-ʿAlā Elʿazar b. Yosef nor against the latter's wife Ḥasana after having received from them seventy and odd dinars, out of the estate of his wife Dalāl bt. Elʿazar. Also signed by Shelomo b. Yosef ha-Kohen. (Information in part from Goitein’s index card.)

Marriage contract (ketubba). Written in a rudimentary hand (Goitein calls it a "most miserable script"). Location: New Cairo. Dated: Av 1[3]82 Seleucid, which is 1071 CE. Groom: Yaʿaqov b. Yeshuʿa. Bride: Dawra (? דורה) bt. Yiṣḥaq. Marriage payments: 1 + 2 = 3. No dowry. The payment 12.5 is also mentioned, indicating that this is not her first marriage. (Information from Goitein’s index card.)

Recto: fragment of a recommendation letter from Daniel b. Azarya to Eli ha-Ḥaver b. Amram, Fustat. The name of the person who is recommended is unknown but it seems he belonged to one of the Israeli Gaon families. (Gil, Palestine, vol. 2, 688-689, Doc. #372) . VMR