Geniza Lab

Letter with the heading 'David son of the exilarch' was preserved in the Geniza collection in Paris (Consist. isr. VII A 39), but it has been lost (according to information from the Director of the Library of the Alliance israelite universelle in Paris, from 18 April, 1978) (information From Gil, Palestine, 756n178). AA

Image not available. According to Schwarb catalogue: a registration of birth from Safed, 1713 and of death from 1720. AA

Image not available. According to Schwarb Catalogue: A communal document mentions Abu Saad ibn Hassun. AA

Legal testimonies. In Hebrew. Dated: perhaps 5408 AM (recto) and 5411 AM (verso), but these are not completely clear. In any case, the approximate dates are ~1650 CE. The first testimony is from Aharon Zaytūn and the second is from Moshe חדדו(?). They are both describing a convoluted case involving a Muslim named Muḥammad al-Wakīl and the Jews Yaʿqūb and his companion and perhaps a bricklayer (al-Labbān). It seems that Yaʿqūb and his companion were murdered (r17–18, v2–3). The Bassātīn cemetery may be mentioned (r10). These two testimonies are from Kislev, and the third is from Tishrei and in different handwriting, meaning it was from the following year at earliest, and perhaps several years later (the dates are given, but tricky to read). Yosef A[.]wāb testifies about a Muslim named ʿUmar. But the content is hard to determine. This testimony is signed by Yehuda b. Ḥizqiya ha-Kohen and Yosef b. Barukh. The first two testimonies are not signed.

Letter fragment (bottom half) in Judaeo-Arabic, addressed to an important person (perhaps Avraham Maimonides). Dated: Middle third of Elul 1541 Seleucid, which is 1230 CE. Opens with a mention of the ḥushshār (capitation tax collectors) of Alexandria and somebody they wanted to imprison. Mentions the noble congregation of Bilbays. Seems to be a letter of recommendation for a man in need. Verso: List of names, including Ibn al-Labbān Abū Saʿd; al-Rayyis Abū l-Riḍā Ibn al-Shelishi and his son; al-Rayyis Abū Manṣūr and David and Netanel and Yaʿaqov. There are also various jottings in Hebrew, Judaeo-Arabic, and Arabic script. Notably, the jottings include the five categories of sharīʿa rulings (aḥkām), but in Judaeo-Arabic: mafrūḍ (compulsory); manhiyy ʿanhu (forbidden); makrūh (discouraged); mustaḥabb (encouraged); mubāḥ (neutral).

Narrative text about the destruction of the second temple — Yossipon? Mentions Titus, bayt al-maqdis, al-Quds (Jerusalem), and "a village called Maṣitā" (Masada?) to which the remaining Jews fled; then Elʿazar al-Dayyan, burj al-rūm and requesting safe-passage (amān) from the Romans. Copied in a scribal hand, but much of the ink has chipped off. Still, probably most of it can be deciphered. MR

Dialogue between the Misri (the man from Old Cairo) and the Rifi (the man from the countryside). Literary, probably late, very colloquial. The writer is consistent with diacritics, not replicated in this transcription. Full of interesting stereotypes and vocabulary of city versus country life: prices, foods, clothes, bathing habits, goods available in the market, sewage ("your bowel movements remain with you, their stench is blinding"). Also names Bayn al-Qasrayn and the glorious fruit and paper markets at Bab Zuwaylah. In the third and final leaf of the story (recto of BL OR 5565G.27), the Misri and the Rifi declare a truce. Then the narrator chimes in with a prayer and an announcement of who he is and how great his stories are, for the benefit of the gathered audience: "I am the מחסווך (??) the Jew... my name is Sulayman... my speech is well-balanced, my meanings divine... my trade in Misr is cantor, as a poet I am known in the Rif...." The verso of BL OR 5565G.27 then begins a comic tale about someone whose pack was seized by a greedy man; they go to court, and the judge says he will award it to whomever can say what's in the pack. ASE.

Recto: A Karaite betrothal document from Fusṭāṭ 1048 CE (Kislev, 1360 Seleucid) for Maḥfūẓ b. Menaḥem and Fāḍilah bt. Avraham b. Muslim. The dower (mohar) is 50 pieces of silver (dirhams). The early marriage gift (muqdam) is 25 dirhams. Verso: Three recipes in Arabic. The first may be medical ("Smear it on the place. Effective.") The second, which occupies the bulk of the page, may be a recipe for red ink. The third, written sideways in the margin, is unclear. Its first ingredient is shelled walnuts. ASE

Legal document of betrothal for Yiṣḥaq ha-Levi and Esther bt. David ha-Kohen, listing the conditions and sums owed. Appears to be dated 22 August 1828 (12 Elul 5400+188).

Legal document from Fustat/Cairo, dated September 1829 (end of Elul 5589). Missing a large chunk from the upper left. It seems to be a record of an investment with the merchant Yosef Menashshe.

Partnership agreement from Fustat/Cairo, dated 13 October 1800 (24 Tishrei 5561), between David Dayyan, Eliyyahu Palombo, and Avraham Ḥaqis (?).

Letter in Hebrew from Azarya Zeevi, Jerusalem, to Yiṣḥaq Castro, Cairo/Fusṭāṭ. Dating: mid-seventeenth century. Should be read together with T-S 20.67—same writer and addressee. The first page is very effaced and difficult to read. ʿAzarya opens with praise for the addressee (r1–4), reports that he received two of his letters (r5–6) and mentioned earlier letters (r9). He mentions the loss of certain "items" (r11). He mentions הר״י אפמדו י״א (r17), who is also mentioned in a negative light in the preceding letter. He discusses the trade in precious stones (r12) and jewelry (r15, 18, 25), apparently with traders from קושנדי, i.e., Istanbul (r19). He then expands on his request for donations for the community of Hevron by way of R. Zerahya [Gota] (v2). Information entirely from Avraham David's edition on FGP.

State document, fragment, in Arabic script written in enormous letters, probably a decree. Mentions "fourteen heads" (li-arbaʿa ʿashara raʾs) (of cattle?). Reused for several different pieces of writing in Hebrew and Judaeo-Arabic. In calligraphic Hebrew on verso is Zechariah 6:11, and underneath are some Judaeo-Arabic phrases that sound as if they are taken from a letter. There is also writing in Hebrew script on recto that is much more difficult to read.

4 pages from a ledger of copies of 17 different legal documents (witness names appear in the hand of the scribe). All are from the end of 1714 or the beginning of 1715 CE. The descriptions below follow the order as they appear in the FGP scans.Page 1, Document #1: Neḥemias b. Shemuel and Mordekhai Ortas b. Yaʿaqov acknowledge that they have received an investment of 13 Seville (? שביליאנוס) reales and 12 muayyadis from Ḥanũnah the wife of Shemuel Masʿūd. From Fustat/Cairo, dated January 1715 (beginning of Shevat 5475). Page 1, Document #2: Yiṣḥaq Asad (?) acknowledges an investment from a woman named מריית (?), the widow of Yaʿaqov Alarcon. Witnessed by Yaʿaqov b. Ḥabīb. Dated January 1715 (beginning of Shevat 5475). Page 1, Document #3: Partnership agreement between Gavriel Afinah (?) and Yehudah known as [...] b. Ḥabīb and Yaʿaqov Fayrūz, dated January 1715 (beginning of Shevat 5475). Witnessed by Raḥamim Ḥotev (?). Page 2, Document #1: Appointment of Yaʿaqov ha-Levi as guardian of the boy Shalom b. Avraham Ashkenazi. Dated December 1714 (end of Kislev 5475). Page 2, Document #2: Some sort of business agreeement between Shemuel ha-Levi known as Baqbash (?) and Barukh Kampanton known as Maṣliaḥ. Dated January 1715 (middle of Shevat 5475). Witnessed by Shelomo Zeraḥyah. Page 2, Document #3: Some sort of agreement between Khalīfah ʿAfīfī and Shelomo the son (?) of the late Yaʿaqov Alarcon, perhaps involving a partnership and inheritance. Yaʿaqov b. Ḥabīb is also appointed the guardian of a young Eliyyahu. Page 3, Document #1: Possibly a rental contract? It has to do with the two apartments owned by Simḥah the widow of Raḥamim Rasa, across from the apartment of Barzilai (?) Tio (?) the Shohet, and someone named Moshe Yeshurun. Dated January 1715 (beginning of Shevat 5475). Page 3, Document #2: ʿAmram Ibn Hini (?) b. Moshe acknowledges an investment from the judge Yeshuʿah Shusṭari (?). Dated January 1715 (beginning of Shevat 5475). Page 3, Document #3: Yosef Porto Nāyis (?) acknowledges an investment from Astit (?) the widow of Avraham. Dated January 1715 (middle of Shevat 5475). Witnessed by Shelomo Zeraḥyah.Page 3, Document #4: Nissim Hefeẓ (?) b. Avraham appoints Aharon Af[...] of Rashid as his agent. Dated January 1715 (middle of Shevat 5475). Witnessed by Shelomo Zeraḥyah.Page 3, Document #5: Aharon Reuven acknowledges an investment from Masʿūdah the widow of Moshe ʿAddāl (?). Dated January 1715 (middle of Shevat 5475). Witnessed by Shelomo Zeraḥyah.Page 3, Document #6: Betrothal document for Aharon Kozimat (? קוזימט) b. Yosef and Ḥanūnah bt. Shelomo Dhabbāḥ. Dated January 1715 (middle of Shevat 5475). Witnessed by Shimʿon ha-Kohen.Page 4, Document #1: Betrothal document for Moshe Kozimat (?) b. Yosef and Ḥanūnah bt. Yaʿaqov Rasa. Dated January 1715 (middle of Shevat 5475). Witnessed by Shimʿon ha-Kohen.Page 4, Document #2: Needs further examination. Involves Marḥabah the wife of Yehudah Karo. Dated January 1715 (end of Shevat 5475). Witnessed by Eliyyahu Tābūn. Page 4, Document #3: Needs further examination. May be a record of a debt owed by Saʿīd Zarmāg (?) of Damietta (Kapotakia) to Yehudah Karmona. Dated January 1715 (end of Shevat 5475). Witnessed by Eliyyahu [...] ha-Shohet. Page 4, Document #4: Needs further examination. Marriage-related document. Dated January 1715 (end of Shevat 5475). Witnessed by Shimʿon ha-Kohen.Page 4, Document #5: Needs further examination. Involves a husband and his wife Esther. Dated January 1715 (end of Shevat 5475). Witnessed by Shimʿon ha-Kohen.

Long legal document perhaps dealing with inheritance arrangements between the brothers Yiṣḥaq and Mordekhai and Binyamin Gaʿdī, the sons of Moshe Gaʿdī. Seems to be dated December 1719 CE (9 Tevet 5480).

Fragment (upper right corner) of a legal document from the first half of the 12th century, dealing with financial arrangements for the divorce of Yaʿaqov b. Yosef known as Yaʿaqov b. al-Shomer (someone of the same name and nickname is mentioned in a list from 1133 CE, T-S 8J5.10) and Sitt al-Banīn bt. Avraham ha-Zaqen known as Abū Isḥ[āq]. It seems that the ketubba will be paid partially at once and partially in installments. T-S NS 184.90 is a list of the items in the marriage gift

Letter in Hebrew and Ladino from Nehoray (?) b. Moshe Ṭoron[.]ah (?) to Shabbetay ʿAdda regarding a new business partnership between them. The date is given at top: 27 Shevat 5[.]57. The century digit appears to be a 5, giving a date of February 1797, but could conceivably be a 4 and therefore a century earlier. After an obsequious introduction in Hebrew, expressing gratitude to Shabbetay for bestowing the honor of this new partnership between them, the writer switches to Ladino (albeit with Hebrew mixed in throughout) and gets to the purpose of the letter. The writer has an existing business venture in mastic (אלמאסטיגה) that would violate the terms of the new partnership—namely that he and his agents are not to trade at all in מתא מצרים (= Fustat?) with the exception of business arising from his preexisting partnership with Ḥājjī Dāwud in Alexandria—and so he seeks dispensation to continue with the mastic venture, or perhaps he wants Shabbetay to buy him out of his share. One of the writer's partners in the mastic venture is Avraham Shimʿon and the other is [Yiẓ?]ḥaq Agi. These partners apparently have friends in high places (יען שהגבירים הנז״ל סון טוקאנטי למלכות). Other traders mentioned are Binyamin de Curiel and Moshe Pallache. A writ of power of attorney (sheṭar harsha'ah) is mentioned several times. Needs further examination

Letter from the head of the court of Palermo (perhaps Maṣliaḥ b. Eliyya) to his counterpart in Qayrawan, ca. 1050 CE. The letter details a legal suit between Shemu'el/Ismaʿīl, who is overseas, and his brother Abū Zikrī, who has been in Palermo and managing Ismaʿīl's store, and it seems that Abu Zikri or his mother sold Ismaʿīl's courtyard. Ismaʿīl appointed Shemuel b. Ḥayyim to represent him (?) in the case against Abū Zikrī. Part of the issue was whether Abū Zikrī had been conducted business as a partnership with his brother or with his own money. One witness, Ṣāliḥ b. Yūsuf al-Ṣabbāgh, witnessed and took an oath that it was a partnership. Abū Zikrī's brother-in-law is attempting to mediate a settlement involving a transfer of 20 gold coins and 800 qelafim (sheets of parchment?), which have already been sent with Nissim b. Menaḥem. Ismaʿīl is now to draw up a document in Arabic ("let it be witnessed by Gentile witnesses in Mahdiyyah and Qayrawan") and in Hebrew ("in the beit midrash of rabbenu," i.e., the recipient) releasing Abū Zikrī from all claims relating to the store and the courtyard. However, if Ismaʿīl does not accept this settlement, he should write as much, and the court in Palermo will proceed with the implementation of justice. Information from Menahem Ben Sasson's edition. ASE.

Legal document. Location: New Cairo. Dating: Maybe early 12th century; the handwriting may be known. Recounts the convoluted history of the financial arrangements between Yefet ha-Levi and Manṣūr b. ʿAlī, involving collaterals worth 70 dinars. Signed by Natan b. [...] and Ḥalfon b. [...]. Needs further examination.

Recto: The main text is a Judaeo-Arabic sermon/exhortation that in order to avert the evil decrees and the plague and the economic depression, all members of the community must repent of their sins. There is to be a series of three fasts incumbent on all except pregnant and nursing women. All members of the community who are not otherwise occupied are to attend minḥa at either the synagogue of the Turks or the synagogue of the Egyptians. Every individual is also to give pidyon (redemption) money, including for babies in their mothers' wombs, 18 silver coins per person. The language is heavily colloquial, essentially modern. There are two additional blocks of text in harder-to-read handwriting. Needs further examination. Verso: The back of the original document was reused for documents of betrothal.