Geniza Lab

Calendar, beg. מחזר ר̇ס̇א̇, continued on Bodl. MS heb. f 56/4–5. There is also the text of Exodus xx. 12-26 in shorthand writing. (Information from Bodleian catalog.)

Literary.

Colophon. Scribe: Moshe b. Yaʿaqov al-Mard[īnī?]. Location: Tel Yaʿqūb, "under the rule of Yūsuf b. Khalaf Agha in the Vilayet of Mārdīn," aka Tilyaqup, corresponding to present-day Tepealtı. Dated: Adar 5176 AM, which would typically be 1416 CE, but in this case is probably 1417 CE (by the 'Adam reckoning' or 'molad adam' which is equal to 'molad tohu' + 1, the idea being that year 1 begins not with creation ('molad tohu') but with Adam already created. On this see Gordin, "How to Avoid Some Pitfalls While Interpreting Dates in Hebrew Manuscripts," pp. 176 and 184). ASE

Fragment of a will in the hand of Ḥalfon b. Menashshe (dated to between 1127 and 1139) in which a man on his deathbed, after having distributed his possessions, orders the sale of his riding beast and his wasif (servant) in order to pay the burial expenses. (Information from Mediterranean Society, I, p. 132; III, p. 432)

Genealogical list of Shemuel b. Hananiah's family.

The physician Menahem writes to his colleague, the Nagid Avraham Maimonides, about happenings when he traveled to the village Tanan (in the Qalyubiyya district near Cairo) to sea a patient. (Information from Mediterranean Society, III, p. 579)

Report on a compound dedicated to the Qodesh ca. after 1127. A fragment of a report, or memorandum, about the compound known as Dar Naqa that figures in several documents of the qodesh. The history of the dedication of one quarter of this compound to the qodesh is briefly reviewed. It appears that it had been dedicated in the 11th century, for the purpose of charity for both the Rabbanite and Karaite needy. During a period of persecution and confiscation that occurred in the year 1127, a sum of money was kept by an official of the qodesh; in order to prevent its confiscation, the money was registered as having already been spent on the purchase of the half of that compound. The purpose of the memorandum is to justify that fictitious record, and probably also to make clear what part of Dar Naqa actually belonged to the qodesh. (Information from Gil, Documents, pp. 246 #45)

Original use: Two fragments of a legal document in Arabic script. ~8 partial lines preserved. Tight line spacing, stylized dhālika ذلك in l. 2, stylized ṣaḥīḥ in l. 4. Mentions ḥaqq and al-nās ajmaʿīn. Involves two women (hātayn al-mutaqāriratayn), one of whom is called Sitt al-Fakhr. Might be a deed of sale (mentions "al-mushtarī" near the bottom) of real estate. Probably a join with Bodl. MS heb. f 56/19. Cut, rotated 90 degrees, and bound in association with Hebrew script text (16 lines) on verso.

Fragment of a report on measures taken to save pious foundations from the rapacity of the finance minister, known as 'the Monk'' (active 1127-1129). (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, 425, 426, 588)

Copy of a story about the edicts against the Jews in Baghdad and how they were saved. Dating: ca. 1120 CE. The scribe reused numerous documents to create this booklet; see individual PGP records. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, pp. 228-229.) VMR. ASE.

Legal document. Dated: 1440 Seleucid, which is 1128/29 CE, under the reshut of Maṣliaḥ Gaon. Involves Yehuda ha-Zaqen. Signed by [...] b. Netanel ha-Levi. The addendum is signed by Natan b. Shemuel ha-Ḥaver (ZL) among others.

Will, in which the testator grants a lot of valuable property to various people in his family, including a kānūn sharābiyya (a syrup-maker's brazier?) and a female slave named עב[...] to one of the women in his family.

Verso (original use): Marriage contract (ketubba). Central piece. In the hand of Mevorakh b. Natan. Groom: Mordekhay b. Saʿadya ha-Levi. Bride: Sitt al-Kuttāb. Containing many items of dowry with realistic values. Dated: [14]76 Seleucid = 1164/65 CE, under the authority of Daniel ha-Nasi. (Information from Mediterranean Society, III, 367, and Goitein's attached index card.)

Legal document, probably. In Arabic script. Needs examination. Probably a join with Bodl. MS heb. f 56/13 + Bodl. MS heb. f 56/15.

Legal document in Judaeo-Arabic. Fragmentary, so difficult to figure out the details. Sets out provisions for the care of a minor boy. Mentions a female slave (al-jāriya al-kabīra) twice, once in the context of someone being granted ownership (תצרפת פי גאריתהא תצרף אלמלאך).

Hebrew poetry. In a familiar hand. There is one line of Arabic script at the bottom of each page; one of them is clearly Arabic poetry, the other requires examination.

A few words in Arabic script. Reused for bible in shorthand. Unless the Arabic script is actually on a different fragment and peeking through from underneath—it is hard to be certain from the image.

Chancery or fiscal document, presumably Mamluk period. There are two lines preserved, consisting of a date (the month Rajab is visible) and the ḥamdala. The text was folded down the middle to form a bifolio and reused for notes on the Jewish calendar, a roster for the years starting with 1275/6 until the mid-fourteenth century. But the roster contains errors, such as parts of the sequence that are repeated. There are also jottings, including a biblical quotation. (Marina Rustow, with information on the calendar roster from Sacha Stern)

Trousseau list to accompany a marriage contract. Groom: Abū Naṣr Elʿazar ha-Kohen b. Yaḥyā. Bride: Sitt al-Maʿālī bt. Abū l-Ḥasan al-Simsār. Real value: 57 dinars. Including a female slave (unnamed) worth 20 dinars. (Information from Goitein's index card.)

Accounts of the qodesh. Gil edited 12 lists of revenue and expenditure pertaining to Abū l-Bayān al-Jābī b. Abu Naṣr Elʿazar ha-Levi al-Ḥalabī spanning the years 1181–84 CE. All except for #81 are written in the hand of the judge Shemuel b. Seʿadya. Account for Elul and Tishri 1492-1493 sel. ca. 1181. The accounting lists 21 apartments and compounds of the qodesh. The total revenue is 632.25 dirhams, including a 26 dirham balance from a previous account. The expenditures include khikr, nightwatch, oil for the synagogues, payments to scholars and to the poor, maintenance and repairs. The total expenditure is 472 dirhams, so there is a surplus of 134.25 dirhams, after the deduction of a collection fee of 60 dirhams. The former balance of 26 dirhams was not included in the final calculation; otherwise the surplus would have been 160.25 dirhams. (Information from Gil, Documents, pp. 327 #80.)