Geniza Lab

Letter from Yefet b. Menashshe to his brother Abū Saʿīd Ḥalfon b. Menashshe. In Judaeo-Arabic. Fragment (upper right corner of recto). There are a lot of deferential expressions of gratitude, but little of the substance is preserved. (Information in part from CUDL)

F. 4r: (draft?) begging letter to Jacob ha-Sar, in an untidy 15th-16th century hand. The writer describes himself as ‘still unwell and helpless’. The letter is prefaced with 'ליקי. Jottings and pen trials on ff. 1r, 2r, 3r, and 5r. (Information from CUDL)

Letter from Moshe Binyamin to Isaac Luria (CUDL). "A certain Moshe Binyamin sent two letters from Rashid to Luria in Egypt, probably either in 1555 or 1562. According to the contents of these letters, Binyamin owed Luria a certain amount of money for goods with which Luria had provided him, and he requested that Luria collect the debt from a Moshe Krispin, with whom Binyamin was associated in business. The letters appear to suggest that Luria had sold Binyamin leather." Lawrence Fine, Physician of the Soul, Healer of the Cosmos: Isaac Luria and His Kabbalistic Fellowship, 33. Moshe also mentions "the other person who left for Ancona." ASE.

Letter from Moshe Binyamin to Isaac Luria (CUDL). "A certain Moshe Binyamin sent two letters from Rashid to Luria in Egypt, probably either in 1555 or 1562. According to the contents of these letters, Binyamin owed Luria a certain amount of money for goods with which Luria had provided him, and he requested that Luria collect the debt from a Moshe Krispin, with whom Binyamin was associated in business. The letters appear to suggest that Luria had sold Binyamin leather." Lawrence Fine, Physician of the Soul, Healer of the Cosmos: Isaac Luria and His Kabbalistic Fellowship, 33.

Letter addressed to Yaʿaqov b. Raḥamim al-Miṣrātī, the servant (? ṣabiyy) of Yaʿaqov b. Saʿda, in Safed. From his parents. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: 16th–19th century. The addressee's brother Farajallāh and Moshe send their regards, as do his in-laws. Greetings are sent to Sulaymān, Yiṣḥaq, David, and a woman ('al-muʿallima') named Saʿādāt. She is asked to look after Yaʿaqov. The sender orders tefillin from Safed and concludes with an elaborate signature. Join: Oded Zinger. (Information in part from CUDL)

Recto: late letter, to someone described as ‘a great man among giants’ and ‘the great tamarisk’, who is also praised as ‘[possessing more wisdom] than all the wisdom of the Bene Qedem and than all the wisdom of Egypt’. The extant text consists mainly of praises and blessings, some in Aramaic. No names are preserved. Verso: various Hebrew writing exercises/jottings, including ‘ha-Sar ha-gadol’. (Information from CUDL)

Beginning of a letter to Shelomo ha-Sar. (Information from CUDL)

Letter from Moshe ha-Loʿez (or ha-Loʿaz[i]?) to his 'brother' David. In Hebrew. Dating: ca. 14th–16th century. Asking for help on behalf of a man who had been captured by pirates (שוללי הים) along with other Jews. (Information from CUDL)

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Addressed to Fusṭāṭ, al-Muṣāṣa, the shop of Abū l-Thanāʾ the wine merchant (al-sharābī), to be delivered to Abū Naṣr known as Sabīkh (?) al-Sharābī. There is also a second address on verso: "to al-Rashīd to give it to his friend/partner." The sender is informing the addressee about items (ʿulayqāt, ḥuwayjāt) that he previously sent with Abū l-Riḍā. He asks for confirmation of receipt. "If I'd known they'd be delayed so long, I wouldn't have sent them." (Information in part from CUDL)

An halakhic discussion, might be from a responsum, written by Samuel b. Yaaqov, the French Rabbi who was active during Abraham Maimonudes' period. It appears to address ‘my lord’ and the verso is written upside down in relation to the recto. It seems to discuss halakhic or legal issues. It mentions various rabbis, including Moses (Maimonides), Hai Gaon, Joseph Halevi (Ibn Migash) and Yeḥiel (probably Yehiel b Elyaqim.) (AA)

Letter from ʿAzarya b. [...] to a Kohen (both the individual and his father’s name were in the piece now missing from the right side of the fragment). In Judaeo-Arabic. The sender's son Rajā had given 5 dinars to the addressee. The addressee is now asked to immediately give something—it seems a repayment of the 5 dinars—to the bearer Mufarraj b. [...] (Information in part from CUDL.)

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Concerning various business matters. The sender reports that 32 3/4 dirhams remain out of the original 60. He mentions a merchant, "one of the acquaintances of Rabbenu Ḥananel ha-[...] ha-Maskil," who kindly offered to take (the money?) and deliver it quickly. He greets 'the father' and 'the brother al-Rashīd.' The letter was written on the 22nd of Tammuz. He repeats a request that the addressee intervene (yuqīm jāhah) with Ḥananel concerning the Muslim (al-Yishmaʿel) who loaned something to the sender.... (the fragment cuts off here). (Information in part from CUDL)

Letter in a crude hand to a woman (Sitt […]), describing the writer’s safe arrival in Fusṭāṭ. (Information from CUDL.) Also in his handwriting: T-S 12.257 + T-S AS 145.278 + T-S K25.209 and T-S 13J14.22. ASE.

Note on verso. "Let the ruqʿa be read. Its contents are that they are asking her to lend them drapery and curtains." Seems like a filing note from the secretary of the noble woman, but needs examination.

Letter concerning a request from a noble lady to lend the writer decorative hangings. The owner of the draperies is described as lending out curtains and other hangings regularly, for others to decorate their homes with them. The fabrics were apparently originally part of the woman’s bridal bedding outfit. The letter ends by asking whether Abū l-Maḥāsin has arrived. (Information (incl. translation) from Mediterranean Society, IV, p. 122 and CUDL)

Letter mentioning 20 irdabb of wheat that the writer has stored at his house. (Information from CUDL)

Letter from Bū l-Majd b. Thābit (=Meir b. Yakhin) to Bū l-Manṣūr al-Mutaṭabbib b. al-Kharazī. This fragment contains only the address (in both Judaeo-Arabic and Arabic script) and Meir's name on recto.

Letter, asking for a swift reply and mentioning a certain Ibrahim. (Information from CUDL)

Letter, referring to the Nagid, a certain Menaḥem, Dammūh, the cloth trade, the death of a woman’s child and the desire of the writer to see Zakkay again, possibly the addressee of the letter. Dated Shabbat ba-Midbar 1651 of the Seleucid Era (= 1340-1341 CE). (Information from CUDL)

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Ca. 13th–14th century. Recommends the bearer for assistance, something to do with the charitable collection (jibāya) which was done for him by the congregation of Cairo. Uses the colloquial word 'bāriḥ' for 'yesterday.' (Information from CUDL)