Geniza Lab

On recto beginning of a letter to Avraham Maimuni from Abu Sa'id (identification according to BL 5542.14. He also wrote T-S 8 j 21.12). On verso a letter written by Avraham Maimuni to Elya b. Zekharya asking him to go with Yosef and bring meat from the butcher. AA

Beginning of a letter to Avraham Maimuni

Faded memorial list for various families, among them Zedaqa ha-Turgeman. AA

On the Coptic months (FGP)

Very small fragment of a monumental calligraphic document, perhaps a ketubba. Artful use of blue and red ink, and lines of Hebrew text weaving in a zig zag pattern.

Bottom part of a bill of divorce (get) from Shelomo b. Moshe Halevi. Written and signed by Aharon ha-Memune b. Efraim. AA

A letter in Hebrew, containing blessings, from El'azar b, Yair to his teacher Aharon. AA

Small fragment of a beginning of a letter in Maghrebi hand. Few words from the address in Judeo Arabic and Arabic are preserved. AA

Small fragment of a legal query sent to Maimonides about Reuven who passed away and left a house and tow sons. Also mentioned Bu Shiyya (as Friedman's and Blau's reading) or BOSHEYYA (= convert to Islam. Zinger's reading) who received a quarter of a house. Also Mahalla is mentioned and a big brother who passed away. Friedman pointed out some similarities between this query and T-S 10 K 8.7 (Blau, Maimonides' Responsa, no. 282, p. 532-533). Same scribe wrote also TS NS J 485+ TS 8J20.16 + TS NS 283.96 (published Zinger, One Hour He Is a Christian and the Next He Is a Muslim!” A Family Dispute from the Cairo Geniza, Al-Masāq (2019), vol. 31)

Text regarding a Kohen or a Levi or a Davidic descendant who forgoes the honor due to his dignity.

Opening of a letter from Ya'aqov b. Elazar al-Dijwar (דגואר) to Avraham Maimuni. Same person also appears in TS 8J23.2- a letter from Perahya b. Yosef. AA

Court proceedings in which the two brothers, Abu al-Fadl and Ma'ali, the sons of Ayyash, claimed certain assets of Farah, who was murdered in Aydhab, from a certain Abu Ali. In connection with this they asked the court to register that Lebdi had acknowledged in court a long time ago that he had no claims to these assets. Abu Ali, apparently, claimed that he owed the money to Lebdi rather than to the two brothers. The document is from 1106/7.

Court record. The proxy of Kulla d. Abu al-Rida al-Tawaf is suing Avraham al-Attar b. Zedaqa al-Hinawi. Written under the jurisdiction of Netan'el Halevi by Mevorakh b. Natan. AA

Business letter from a father, probably in Alexandria, to a son, probably in Fustat. In Judaeo-Arabic. Fragment. Dating: Looks 12th century, but this is a guess. The writer explains that he cannot come because he is very ill (wajiʿ wajaʿin ṣaʿb) and has no energy (nahḍa) to 'enter' (Fustat). He has therefore sent Sulaymān on his behalf to collect his indigo that is with Abū l-Ḥasan. The son is to make sure that this happens, and if he wants to travel back with Sulaymān, all the better. After all, it is the end of the year, and the son has to pay his capitation tax in Alexandria. If the son does come, there is a list of items that he should bring with him. ASE.

A small fragment, probably of a letter.

Literary text in Judaeo-Arabic. Probably belongs with BL OR 5565G.23–26 (a treasure-hunting/alchemical manual).

Marriage contract (ketubba). Dated: 12 Nisan 1453 Seleucid, which is 1142 CE. Groom: Tiqva ha-Levi. This is a small fragment; not much else remains.

Recto: Letter from Mūsā, probably addressed to Shelomo. Asking the addressee's help in doing something on Sunday. Verso: Letter from Shelomo (likely Shelomo b. Eliyyahu). Perhaps the response to the letter on recto. He tells the addressee that he can come to his house and read/study there.

Seems like a legal ruling regarding an oath to be imposed in a case of a debt with no legal deed to support it. AA

Judaeo-Arabic poetry.