Geniza Lab

Leaf from a manuscript of the Hebrew version of Menashshe ben Israel's "Miqve Yisra'el" including the section on the Spanish Expulsion.

Literary. A beautiful and very large (30cm) page from a diwan of R. Moshe ibn 'Ezra. Among the poems preserved: on pens, on a candle, one that he wrote to Yehudah b Abi l-Hajjaj his brother; his elegy for Abū Ibrahīm Isḥāq b. Barūn [Benveniste]; his elegy for Barukh b. Barukh. ASE.

Literary. A beautiful and very large (30cm) page from a diwan of R. Moshe ibn 'Ezra. Among the poems preserved: an elegy for his brother Abu l-Hajjaj who died in Toledo, Elul 1127 CE (4887); a congratulatory poem for the physician Abu Omar Joseph ben Kamnial upon his release from prison. ASE.

Legal document. In Hebrew. Location: Copied in Fustat but originally written in Granada (גרנאטה). Dating: mid-11th century, based on the mentions of Yūshaʿ b. Natan and Faraj/Furayj b. Shuʿayb (information from Moshe Yagur). This copy was requested by Shemuel b. Avraham b. Meir known as Ibn Qālūs from Lucena (אליסאנה) in Andalusia. The court record deals with property, merchandise, and money in Egypt and Palestine left behind by Avraham upon his death. Hosheaʿ b. Natan (known as Abū l-Surūr Yamanī al-Andalusī) was appointed trustee in charge of the property. The record reflects that Natan b. Shemuel ha-Sefaradi appeared in court with a deed of attorney written in Granada that appoints him as trustee for the estate of Hosheaʿ. The record seems to imply that Avraham, who did business on quite a large scale, very carefully made plans in the event of his death for his property to be kept secure from 'the ruler who governs Egypt' and seemed to habitually take property that belonged to 'deceased aliens'. (Information from Goitein’s index card and Gil, History of Palestine.)

State document. Dating: Refers to payments for the year 415 kharājī; 415 AH is 1024/25 CE, so 415 kharājī is 1024/25 CE plus or minus a year or two. Refers to a dignitary called "amīr al-umarāʾ tāj al-dawla wa-sharaf al-milla al-muʾayyad dhī l-[maʿāl?]ī"; a man called Abū l-Ḥarīrī or Jazīrī ; and to another dignitary called ʿAmīd al-Dawla (together with aṣḥāb dīwān al-[...]). Refers to a government office called Dīwān al-Aṣl. Needs further examination. On verso there is a draft of a Hebrew elegy for a deceased woman. ASE

An unusually neat and pristine amulet (possibly late, possibly never used) for the healing and protection of Eliyyahu b. Sarah.

BL OR 5561A.4 seems to preserve only the imprint of BL OR 5561A.4a; the relationship between these two fragments and how they were folded is not completely clear from the digital images. BL OR 5561A.4a is the one with legible text, and it is a large, well-preserved legal document regarding property arrangements, dated Nisan 1664 CE [5424]. Note that "Image 1" and "Image 2" on FGP are not recto and verso but rather the upper part and the lower part of recto.

Letter from Yosef Qolon b. Pereẓ, in Jerusalem, to Nissim Bibas, in Fustat. In Hebrew. Dating: First quarter of the 16th century, almost certainly 1511 CE per Avraham David. The addressee was a judge in the court of the Nagid. The writer wants the addressee to intercede with the Nagid on his behalf and secure a two-fold raise in his haspaqa (stipend for Torah study). Shemuel al-Salāḥ and Shemuel Ḥalafta have recently received a raise of 2 ducados per month, and they, unlike the writer, have no wife or children to support. If someone were to object that the writer has other sources of income (he seems to admit to some income from the winepress and the threshing floor), he swears that he has no money coming to him except the 37 ducados owed to him by Avraham b. Shānjī, who has no intention of repaying them soon. The Nagid is currently sending him only 24 ducados a year, when even 50 ducados a year would barely be enough. If it weren't for a prudent two-month business or fund-raising trip to Damascus, the writer would have had to sell all his books to defray his debts. He swears that he is selling the clothes off his back to purchase Gemarot, for his son, thank God, is currently studying Taʿanit and already studied Berakhot under the tutelage of R. Moshe the Blind. If the Nagid doesn't agree promptly, the writer will have no choice but to come to Egypt in person to present his case, and then, Yosef writes with some chutzpah, the Nagid would have to pay his travel expenses. David al-Miẓrī confirms that he received the טרחה (?) sent him by the addressee. The letter concludes with a recommendation for the bearer, Yom Tov, who was a student in the yeshiva of R. Shemuel Masʿūd. The writer's sons Pereẓ and Netanel kiss the hands of the Nagid. There are some curious doodles on verso. Information from Avraham David's edition. ASE.

A magnificent illuminated certificate/amulet for a circumcision. Assuming we're meant to add up all the red numbers at the bottom to find the year, it is from 1847/8 CE ([5]608, but could also be 5 years earlier if one of the red "ה"s signifies 5000 rather than the black one). ASE.

Legal document. In Hebrew. Location: Fustat/Cairo. Dated: 1 Iyar 5620 AM, which is 1860 CE. This is a partnership agreement for a sarraflık business for a period of 3 months. Partners: Avraham ha-Levi Iskandarī; Mikhaʾel Safriʾel; Moshe ha-Levi Iskandarī. Signed by: Shelomo Elyaqim; Avraham Rozano; and the three partners.

Letter of request to send 20 good new poems composed by one Abu Sa'id. The writer mentions that he had already sent 7 letters on this matter. (Information from Goitein's index cards)

Recto: the first couple lines of a draft of an Arabic letter. Verso: Hebrew blessings for somebody in large letters.

Legal document regarding the appointment of Moshe Albotano "אלבוטאנו" as gabbay of the Maghrebi community in Cairo that also mentions the scribe Yaʿaqov b. Zimra. The document is dated in the month of Iyyar 5260 AM, which is 1500CE. Information from the edition in Dotan Arad's dissertation (p. 352). MCD.

Recto: Partnership agreement, probably late, between four individuals, including Masʿūd and Yehuda. Much of the space is devoted to how they will behave toward one another, e.g., they will never go more than three days without making peace even if one partner behaves badly. Verso: Pen trials. ASE.

Legal document dated Nisan 1651 CE (5411) involving Yiṣḥaq Castro and Ya'aqov al-Darqon. The scribe Shelomo b. Shemuel Somekh ha-Kohen has a remarkable signature. See Avraham David's edition on FGP for the content. ASE.

A leaf that was once folded that looks completely blank.

Rental contract. In Hebrew. Location: Rashīd. Dated: Thursday, 1 Nisan 5442 AM, which is 1682 CE. Lessor: A woman named Konfrada. Lessee: Shemuel [...]. The late Yiṣḥaq Arjīl (? ארגיל) is somehow involved as well. There is a 3-line addendum at the bottom. No witness signatures. Needs further examination.

Recto: Legal document(s). Location: Fustat/Cairo. Dated: 14 Sivan 5547 AM, which is 1787 CE. ʿIsqa agreement. The investor may be referred to only as "maʿalat ha-khediv." The active partner is Yosef b. ʿOvadya ha-Levi known as Khayyāṭ, who receives 50 Abū Ṭāqa (=baṭāqa) reals, 1 real pegged to 90 medins. The period of the partnership is 14 Sivan through the end of Elul. There is an addendum, unclear if or how it is related. It refers to brothers who had to pay a woman 1 real a week, but this obligation was nullified by the sale of the 'vessels,' and now the document called a תמוסוך is null and void; the woman says she doesn't know where it is, so it can't be torn up, so it is annulled in writing here instead. There are no witness signatures underneath this section.

Verso: Accounts in Judaeo-Arabic. Perhaps related to the legal agreement on recto, but perhaps not, since it mentions the date Vayishlaḥ 5549 AM (=1788 CE), which a year later. Lists various types of currency (real baṭāqa, maḥābīb of different kinds) together with eastern Arabic numerals.

Recto: Legal document involving Saadya ha-Kohen Me'ili (?) and Hayyim Luki (?) the Alexandrian, possibly dated Tammuz 1788 CE (תצמיח i.e. [5]548). Needs further examination for the content. Verso: acconts. ASE.