Geniza Lab

Marriage contract (ketubba); line two begins with the phrase "on the river," the only clue to establishing the provenance of the document. Dated 4844 A.M. (1084 C.E.) (Friedman, Jewish Marriage, vol. 2, 217-26) EMS

Awaiting description - see Goitein's index card.

Large fragment of a marriage contract. Dated from the early 11th century. (Information from Mediterranean Society, III, 378, 417)

Awaiting description - see Goitein's index card.

Awaiting description - see Goitein's index card.

Awaiting description - see Goitein's index card.

Awaiting description - see Goitein's index card.

Awaiting description - see Goitein's index card.

Awaiting description - see Goitein's index card.

Awaiting description - see Goitein's index card.

Legal document. Partnership agreement. Dated: March 1097. Location: Fustat. Written in the hand of Hillel b. Eli. This document is likely the top half of a document of which ENA NS 18.22 (PGPID 6925) is the final section. This section discusses the details of a partnership between Abū ‘Imrān Moses (dead at the time of document's writing) and Abū al-Baqā Samuel b. Nathan the Ḥaver. Abū ‘Imrān Moses contributed 124.5 dinars out of 484.5 dinars (the latter contributed the balance) and agreed to split profits and losses evenly. Moses traveled to al-Shām and sent merchandise back to the Fustat agency house of Abū al-Ṭāhir b. Rajā, a Muslim. This document was likely written directly after Moses’ death and concerns itself with the division of partnership assets between Moses’ heirs Nathaniel and Aaron and the investor Samuel, mentioning commodities deposited in the names of the heirs, and also those "allocated to the Elder Abū al-Baqā". The active partner bore responsibility for losses (similar to the Talmudic ‘isqa), though no additional amount was allocated to him for his maintenance or as compensation for his work. (Information from Lieberman, "A Partnership Culture," 129)

Awaiting description - see Goitein's index card.

Strongly worded circular letter sent by Moses Maimonides to the country-side community, soliciting them to contribute to the ransom of captives. The two senior judges of Fustat, Hiyya b. Yiṣḥaq and Efrayim b. Meshullam had been sent to Palestine, probably to approach the Franks, who might have taken captives when they sacked Bilbays on November 3, 1168. A sermon in Hebrew is written in the wide spaces between the lines. verso, in Hebrew, unrelated. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, pp. 548, 549; V, pp. 54, 55.) BL OR 5533.1, T-S 12.238, and T-S 16.9 are all versions of the same letter.

Ketubba fragment for an unnamed bride and groom. Dated the 1st of Shevat 1415 (= 1104 CE), in Fustat. NB: Goitein and Worman referred to T-S 16.90 as T-S 16.91, and vice versa.

A widow named Khazariyya instituted a long litigation against her three sons until she got from them what was due her late husband's marriage gift and her dowry, consisting of jewelry, clothing, merchandise and other goods. Dated from the late 10th or early 11th century. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, pp. 247, 248.) NB: Goitein and Worman referred to T-S 16.90 as T-S 16.91, and vice versa.

Awaiting description - see Goitein's index card.

Copies of letters by Rav Sherira Gaon, dealing with money matters.

A booklet containing copies of eight letters by Rav Sherira Gaon and one letter by Rav Hayye Gaon. End of the 10th century. The letter by Rav Hayye Gaon is addressed to the sister of Yosef b. Ḥasan b. Bundār, probably a community leader in Northern Iraq. All letters mainly deal with financial matters; the first seven mention places in Yemen. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, pp. 83-84.)

Palimpsest, the upper script consisting of a collection of qerovot by Yannai from a 10th-century (?) maḥzor of his work. The under script is the New Testament (John 14:25-15:16) in Christian Palestinian Aramaic. (Information from CUDL)

Letter, probably from Damascus, in which fifteen elders admonish a community in another country to bring to court a merchant against whom a widow held no fewer then twenty documents of indebtedness. His claims against the orphans of Ibn Saba had to be dealt with separately. Dated 10th century.