Geniza Lab

Lower middle part of a ketubba in which the groom renounces his rights to the bride's earnings. Dated to the 13th century. (Information from Mediterranean Society III, p.134, and from Goitein's index cards)

Marriage contract (ketubba). Dating: ca. 1030 CE or older. Beautiful monumental cursive. Groom: ʿEli b. Wahb. Bride: Malka/Milka, a virgin. One of the payments is specified in Baghdadi dinars. (Information from Goitein's index card.)

Recto: Letter from Bū Zikrī (b. Eliyyahu the Judge?) to Abū ʿImrān Mūsā. In Judaeo-Arabic. Only the opening is preserved and a couple words from the margin. Verso: Note from Shelomo b. Eliyyahu to Mūsā concerning a book deal. "Give the boy the codex containing the 5 megillot. The buyer said he would only buy the two codices."

Note from a judge to a colleague named Nissim. In Judaeo-Arabic. Requesting the exact date and some of the conditions of a settlement that had been made before them. Overleaf, the desired data are provided: the mother of the late Yosef, possibly named Sitt al-Bayt bt. Abū l-Thanāʾ, forfeits her right to the rent of a property which Yosef had willed her, releasing Yosef's orphans from the obligation of paying it to her). (Information from Goitein, Med. Soc. II, 336, and Oded Zinger's forthcoming edition.)

Memorial list. Yefet and his son... his sister... Moshe the Kohen and his two sons...

Legal document. In the hand of Hillel b. ʿEli. Fragment (bottom part only). Involves: Abū Kathīr; Bahiyya bt. Ṣadaqa; [...] bt. Yosef known as Umm Abū l-Munā al-Marsūla(?); a female slave valued at 22.5 dinars. (Information from Goitein's index card.)

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Fragment (upper left corner). The handwriting and the layout resemble those of Ḥalfon b. Netanel's Spanish correspondents (see India Book IV)—but none of those documents are clearly a join. Very little of substance is preserved in this fragment, but merits closer examination.

Beginning of a letter by Yeḥezqel b. Shemuel to the cantor and teacher ʿAbd al-Bāqī Sheʾerit, informing him that he had sent him 20 dirhams for his children with the wife of Zayn al-Tujjār, ten of which had been donated by Sitt Ṭāwūs. (Information from Goitein's index cards.) Same sender as Yevr. III B 669.

Letter from Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi (d. 1212), probably in Qalyūb, to his father Abū Sahl Levi, in Fustat. In Judaeo-Arabic with the address in Arabic script. This may be the largest letter of Moshe b. Levi's in the Geniza. Dating: Probably ca. 1190s. He opens with a complaint about the state of his income as a slaughterer. He asks his family members to go to the warehouse in Fustat and retrieve many goods for him. He also asks for several liturgical poems, including one specifically from his cousin (ibn khāl) Abū l-Khayr and some from Abū l-Munā the cantor. He offers to buy a garment for his mother. He wants his brother (probably Yedutun) to obtain a fatwā (responsum) on his behalf. The amir Sajjāʿ al-Dīn sends his regards. There may be references to illness at the end, but the text is difficult to decipher. ASE

Recommendation letter addressed to Nahray b. Nissim, for a writer who is traveling to Egypt to copy manuscripts and to marry a relative of Nahray. (information from Goitein, Palestinian Jewry, p. 174). VMR

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic with a few lines of Hebrew headers. A letter of condolence upon hearing about the death of Abū l-Bishr.

Letter addressed to Elʿazar ha-Ḥasid. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Probably 13th century. The substance of the letter begins in l. 15 (wa-siwā dhālika...) after a long and fawning introduction. It seems that the sender waited for al-Thiqa in Gaza but he never came. So he left without him and walked with Zayyāta(?) to near Muṭaylib(?) before he got tired. He rented (probably an animal) to travel to Bilbays for 4 nuqra dirhams. They reached אלכשבי on Friday but they weren't in time to catch up with al-ʿAbbāsa (a caravan? another town?). So he traveled onward alone until he reached Bilbays before Shabbat and spent Shabbat with Ibn Bishāra. He woke up on Sunday and departed for—the letter ends here. On verso there is a list of materia medica in Arabic script. AA. ASE.

Letter from Nissim b. Isḥāq b. al-Sahl, probably somewhere in the Maghrib, to Avraham b. Ḥujayj (aka Ḥaggay), in Fustat. Nissim asks the addressee to sell a shipment of oil that he had sent to Fustat and to buy lemons and lemon water for him. Avraham b. Ḥujayj was one of the leaders of the Jewish community in Fustat. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, #226) VMR

Account of the qodesh for display ca. 1222-23. This document is the final copy of the record of which the preceding document (ENA 3824.1) is an earlier draft. (Information from Gil, Documents, pp. 431, #129). (Written by Sheolomo b. Shmuel. AA)

Informal note without the names of the sender or addressee (as was common in notes exchanged between friends). In Judaeo-Arabic. Written on a long vertical strip of paper. The scribe may be Shelomo b. Eliyyahu (per Goitein). Dating: Probably late 12th or 13th century. The sender opens, "What is the reason for this anger?! It is senseless and misplaced." He apologizes for not meeting the addressee out of fear that they would attract a crowd at the synagogue. He wants the addressee to come see him: "from the day that you departed... my temperament has not been balanced." (Information in part from Goitein's index card and Med Soc V, p. 505n7.)

Recto: Bottom of a letter addressed to a brother. In Judaeo-Arabic. The addressee is instructed to look after their mother and not to neglect his prayers, morning and evening. Verso: The original letter was torn and the lower fragment was reused for an informal note from Shelomo (b. Elya) to R. A[vraham?]. Shelomo has delivered the money (darāhim?) to Abū l-Khayr; the addressee should now give the bearer all of the quires (karārīs), without leaving out a single page.

Betrothal (erusin) contract. In the hand of Ḥalfon b. Menashshe. Fiancée: Sitt al-Dalāl. Conditions: 1. Should separation occur, the document freeing Sitt al-Dalal ("Lady Bold") will be produced by her husband without delay. 2. She is trustworthy in her statements concerning everything and no oath of any kind may be imposed on her. 3. He will not marry another wife [nor keep a female slave disliked by her]. 4. He will not beat her. 5. He will not leave Fustat and travel anywhere [except with her consent]. 6. Before setting out on a journey he will write her a conditional bill of divorce, and deposit the delayed installment of her marriage gift as well as the sums needed for her maintenance during his absence. 7. The young couple will live in her parents' house. The husband owes a yearly rent of 6 dinars and will never be late in paying it. 8. He will not separate her from her parents, as long as the latter are alive and cannot force her to live anywhere else. 9. A fine of 50 dinars is imposed on him in case he fails to fulfill any(?) of the preceding conditions. (Information from Goitein, Med Soc III, p. 144.)

Deed of release, probably. Faded and rubbed. Shelomo b. [...] and Abū l-Faraj Yehuda make a declaration in favor of ʿUlla b. Yosef ha-Levi (known also from ENA 4011.73, dated 1100 CE, and several other documents). Involves 20 dinars owed by Avraham b. Shemuel; and 6 + 1/3 + 1/4 + 1/8 dinars. Signed by Shelomo b. Yosef ha-Kohen (descendant of Shelomo Gaʾon). AA. ASE.

Verso: Medical prescription in Arabic script.

Letter, fragmentary and calligraphic, regarding business. Mentionins dealings in corals, storax, and zaituni (silk), and merchants of the second half of the eleventh century (Joseph b. Farah Qabisi). On verso is a medical prescription in Arabic letters. Most likely the receiver of the business letter was a physician. Information from Goitein's note card. Possibly the same scribe as T-S NS J194.