Geniza Lab

Late writing exercises and sums (compare 12369.21, 22, 37, 38, 39).

Late writing exercises and sums (compare 12369.21, 22, 37, 38, 39).

Late writing exercises and sums (compare 12369.21, 22, 37, 38, 39)..

Late accounts (?), possibly having to do with riding animals (jimal, dawabb).

Legal document. Probably from a calligraphic Qaraite ketubba in Hebrew and Judaeo-Arabic. Unfortunately the name of the bride (Sitt ...) is cut off. What remains is part of her long, luxurious trousseau list.

12369.7 and 8 are drafts of several Judaeo-Arabic letters and documents by Yisrael al-Gevili (אלגוילי) writing in Cairo it seems circa 1755/6 CE (the lower segment on recto mentions the year [5]516; the second digit could also be a ר, making the date 1855/6, but it is closer to his ק and the fonducli - an Ottoman coin - would be more likely to be circulating in Egypt in 1756 than 1856.) Upper segment of recto: Some sort of testimony, perhaps that the Shaykh al-Islām Naṣr al-Dīn Abū Zayn al-Dī al-Iskandarānī pledges to pay a sum of 120 to al-Ḥajj Muṣṭafa in the Gamaliyya neighborhood. Lower segment of recto: Documentation that Yūsuf al-Ḥarīrī who is living in the wakāla of al-Fayyūmī has paid the price for the courtyard and the apartment, and then something to do with six months of payments involving al-Ḥajj Muṣṭafa al-Ramlāwī. Verso: Draft of a letter to his brother regarding business matters. Yisrael reports on the status and likely price of the goods that his brother had sent to him with Murād al-Jawharji. He orders Indian textiles because the demand this year is very high, as none of the ḥajj pilgrims brought any textiles with them. Verso of 12369.8 is another draft of the same letter. ASE.

12369.7 and 8 are drafts of several Judaeo-Arabic letters and documents by Yisrael al-Gevili (אלגוילי) writing in Cairo it seems circa 1755/6 CE (the lower segment on recto of 12369.7 mentions the year [5]516; the second digit could also be a ר, making the date 1855/6, but it is closer to his ק and the fonducli - an Ottoman coin - would be more likely to be circulating in Egypt in 1756 than 1856.) Recto: Draft of a letter to his brother. His brother seems to have gotten upset about the lack of letters from Yisrael and the lack of any shipment of goods or money. Yisrael apologizes and says he had intended to send them sooner, but encountered various difficulties including with selling the goods. However he plans to send everything on Monday. Verso: Draft of a letter to his brother regarding business matters. Yisrael reports on the status and likely price of the goods that his brother had sent to him with Murād al-Jawharjī. He orders Indian textiles because the demand this year is very high, as none of the ḥajj pilgrims brought any textiles with them. Verso of 12369.7 is another draft of the same letter. ASE.

Letter from [...] Krispin, unknown location, to Avraham Krispin, Alexandria. Written in Ladino. Dated: 18 Av 5549 AM, which is 10 August 1789 CE. Needs further examination. Mentioned in Ilana Tahan, "Judeo-Spanish Manuscripts in the British Library's Hebrew Collection," p. 152 (no. 36). Note that Yisrael Gevili (mentioned there as the writer) is rather the writer of BL OR 12369.7 + BL OR 12369.8. BL OR 12369.9 possibly contains the address of the letter. ASE.

Much-faded excerpt perhaps from a collection of responsa. There is an opening question in Hebrew about why something has to be written above something else. The answer below in Judaeo-Arabic appears to explain why the document in question has to be written in this way or else it is pasul.

Literary. Discussing angels, lightning, the revelation of Isaiah.

Literary. Biblical passages with Targum.

Literary. Discussing bediqat ḥameẓ

Literary.

Literary. Hebrew poems, including by Yehuda ha-Levi and Avraham Ibn Ezra.

Literary.Commentary on mishnayot of Sanhedrin and Avot.

Literary work whose nature is not immediately clear.

Literary work on the blowing of the shofar.

Legal documents. Three different documents. The first mentions a deceased daughter; Sitt al-Ahl; Abū l-Faraj; [...] b. Qaṣāṣa; [Ab]ū l-Faḍl the deceased. On verso is a list of names, quantities, and goods (such as rose water and flax), many of which are crossed out. The second document may be a release stating that someone has received all that he is owed, and an apartment is mentioned. Only a few lines remain of the third document.

Legal document in the hand of Ḥalfon b. Menashshe. Involves a woman named Sitt al-Ahl, a pair of bracelets or armlets (al-zawj al-damālij), and a woman named Sutūt. Sitt al-Ahl has received a sum of money from Sutūt and releases her from all claims. On verso, there is a list, also in Ḥalfon's hand mentioning Abū Naṣr b. Surūr; the late Mawhūb; and expenses for the capitation tax and perhaps a funeral.

Legal. Several fragments, most (or all?) in the hand of Ḥalfon b. Menashshe. One is dated Heshvan, 1117 CE (1429 Seleucid). The lower left fragment has notes regarding commercial goods on recto, but on verso is a legal document involving Yaḥyā ha-Kohen and [Abū] l-Mufaḍḍal.