Geniza Lab

Large legal document. Fragment (right side only). Mentions: Rosh ha-Qehillot; gold for somebody's daughter; Abū Manṣūr (b. Yaʿaqov?); the wife of Abū l-Faḍl; Abū l-Maʿālī; a daughter and her husband; and a dignitary (Head of the Jews?) titled Mordekhay ha-Zeman in the last line.

Letter from Yiṣḥaq b. Simḥa al-Nīsābūrī ha-Levi to Abū l-ʿAlāʾ Salāma b. Hillel al-Ḥalabī. The sender reports that he arrived in Alexandria on Tuesday after spending three days in Malīj. He did not press Abū Sahl Mukhtār (also mentioned in T-S 12.296v) on the matter of the "sayf" (a sword?). because he was ill. But now he has recovered. The sender also refers to the addressee's intended travel to Yemen. (Information in part from Goitein's note card). Join: Alan Elbaum

Letter from Abū ʿAbdallāh to Abū l-Ṭayyib Mevasser al-Ṣayrafī. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Likely ~12th century. Only the beginning, the upper margin of recto, and the address are preserved. The address is damaged, so the readings of the names are tentative.

Legal document. In the hand of Ḥalfon b. Menashshe. Mentions: coral; probably Yemen ([diyā]r al-Yaman); Abū l-Surūr; probably the weight "al-fill" (1/100 of a farāsila, see Friedman, Dictionary, p. 697 and Goitein and Friedman, India Traders, p. 590 n. 30, 645 n. 8; but it could theoretically be "jasmine" (al-full) instead); a dispute between two men, one of whom claims that the other mixed something in the total [...]; and the names of the parties Eliyya and Abū l-Surūr. The document may be the resolution of a partnership dispute between India traders. On verso there are a few words, also in Ḥalfon's hand: "10 years and 3 months...." May be related to T-S NS 320.54 (or even a join?).

List of names with numbers. Probably an alms distribution list. The scribe who wrote the two lines in bolder ink may be known—the hand seems familiar from 11th century documents. Needs further examination.

Letter addressed to a dignitary named Yefet. Opens with Hebrew praises and wishes for a speedy recovery, then switches into Arabic (in Arabic script) for the body of the letter, which opens with a quotation from the Qaraite sage Yūsuf al-Baṣīr (fl. early 11th century). The continuation of the letter is lost. The Yefet in question may well be Ḥasan/Yefet b. Abī Saʿd Ibrāhīm al-Tustarī, on whom see further T-S 16.50, given the Qaraite content, the grand titles of the addressee, and the fact that he's called ḥemdat ha-nesiʾut (his father-in-law was the Qaraite nasi Ḥizqiyahu). This presumably dates from some time between his marriage ca. 1040–47 and his conversion to Islam ca. 1064. (Alan Elbaum and Marina Rustow)

Formal letter of resignation from the judge Nissim al-ʿAnqarī. In Hebrew. Location: Fustat/Cairo. Dated: Friday, 16 Iyyar 5301 AM, which is 1541 CE. He says that the reasons for his resignation are too well known to describe... but at least he gives us the information that he had been captured, and a tax collector (ḥāshir) and another gentile were also involved, and the heads of the community lost 8 Venetian ducats on his account. Therefore, he renounces the title of judge. Nevertheless, if David Zimra wishes to consult him on various matters, he is happy to help. (Information from A. David's edition via FGP.)

Letter from an unknown sender, in Alexandria, to a certain Shalom who has a son named Yehuda, in Fustat/Cairo. (In the actual address, the letter is to be delivered to Moshe b. Sāʾib al-Qūṣanṭīnī (=of Constantine or Constantinople)). In Judaeo-Arabic, with the opening in Hebrew. Dating: 15th–18th century, based on hand and layout, but this could likely be narrowed. The sender wanted to travel but didn't have the money to rent passage on a boat or ship, so he borrowed 12 [...] from Yeshuʿa ʿIwāẓ b. Quwaysmāt(?). Also mentions Nuṣayr. An agreement was reached, "and we traveled nearly 40 miles (מיל)," but then the wind turned them back, and now it seems that the sender has to find a different boat/ship. The lower part of the letter is missing.

Astrological prognostications in Judaeo-Arabic. Dated: 1414 Seleucid, which is 1102/03 CE. Many colorful details about war, weather, and diseases (e.g., ramad/ophthalmia).

List of names and blessings, in a somewhat crude hand. In Hebrew. Memorial list? Or blessings for a specific addressee?

Draft of a legal document (or documents). In Judaeo-Arabic. There is writing on both sides. Looks like the hand of Ḥalfon b. Menashshe, but it is very sloppy, and many lines are crossed out. Involves Abū l-Ḥasan Yosef b. Seʿadya and Yaʿaqov b. [...], and presumably a mercantile dispute, as repeated references are made to "arriving in the land of Egypt" and "goods." In the last line on recto, refers to somebody's brother Rabbenu Yiṣḥaq ha-Rav ha-Muvhaq (also mentioned in DK 237.1 and T-S 10J13.17).

Letter/petition from Moshe [...] to the "Nagid" [Shelo]mo. Begins in Hebrew, and transitions to Judaeo-Arabic. Probably this is a letter of appeal for charity or help. The bottom part of the letter is lost. Unclear who this Shelomo is.

Looks like a literary text.

Praises addressed to somebody in Hebrew. On verso, names someone titled השר היקר נגיד עם ייי צבאות: Yehuda b. David(?). Unclear who this is.

Large letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Names of sender and addressee are lost, but it may be possible to identify the sender's hand. Dating: Likely 11th century. Discusses selling a house; arrival of a ship; codices; someone called al-Qaṣṣār; a vessel (fuqqāʿa) and oil; Abū ʿImrān; bowls (zabādī). On verso, there are closing greetings and regards to Yisrael b. Khalīla Fāsī (perhaps the same Yisrael b. Khalīla who appears in ENA 1822a.55).

Letter from Yiṣḥaq ben Ṣūr. In Hebrew. Dating: Likely 16th century, based on hand, language, and surname (there is a well known Avraham ben Ṣūr from the 16th century). The sender is sick and hasn't yet left the house. He wants to buy a cask (birmīl) of possibly mercury (the word looks like זייבה, but the ה is longer than usual and could potentially be a ק, yielding zaybaq). (Information from A. David's edition via FGP.)

Drafts or records of legal documents. In Judaeo-Arabic. In the hand of Hillel b. ʿEli? Dating: The document on recto refers to a period of time beginning in Av 139[.], which corresponds to 1079–88 CE, which means this was written no later than 1088 CE. The lower document on verso is intriguing. Moshe ha-Kohen b. [...] appears before the court. His wife may be the daughter of the late [...]l ha-Levi, whose name is followed by the abbreviation בסנ גדו (meaning בסנהדרין גדולה). He says that they fought about something, then refers to "isolation" or "private quarters" (? maʿzil), and perhaps to his earnings and his house. Then: "...[that] I would/should buy her a female slave..."

Bifolio from an account ledger. Dating: Probably 11th century. In a mixture of Judaeo-Arabic and Arabic script, many entries boxed and/or crossed out. T-S AS 201.82, T-S NS 83.18, and T-S NS 320.125 probably all come from the same ledger. ASE

Notes for drawing up legal documents. In Judaeo-Arabic. In the hand of Natan b. Shemuel? On recto: "...the freedwoman (al-maʿtūqa)... and the rest of the furnishings... and the quarter of the... to Sitt al-A[hl?]... the wife of Abū [...]." In the margin: "The giver: Ḥasana bt. Shaʾūl. The [...]: Abū ʿAlī b. al-Ṣabbāgh." Verso includes the details of a deed of sale for a female slave, a black woman named Intijāb. The seller appears to be [...] bt. Ṣadoq, perhaps the wife of Abū l-Faḍl Shela ha-Levi Sar ha-Leviim (who also appears in T-S 10J28.16 in 1157 CE, another slavery-related document). The price is 34.5 (dinars); this is a very large sum, so perhaps there are two slaves being sold (the rest of the line which gives Intijāb's name is effaced). The name of the buyer (al-mushtarī) in the last line might be legible with some effort: Abū l-[...] b. [...].

Letter from Yona ʿAdanī (=of Aden) to a certain Yosef. In Hebrew. Dating: 16th century. Yona is submitting business accounts (in Judaeo-Arabic) to be reviewed. He previously submitted accounts to Yehuda Castro and received a receipt from Yiṣḥaq ʿAdanī, but there is some issue to be resolved. (Information from A. David's (partial) edition via FGP.)