Geniza Lab

Petition, probably. In Arabic script. Only one line and a couple words from the line below are preserved. "irtifāʿ mā. . . lā yadillu ʿalayhi. . . ʿabduhu." Reused for Hebrew literary text.

Letter addressed to ʿEli ha-Kohen ha-Parnas. What remains of the letter is the introduction consisting entirely of biblical verses.

Mysterious document. In Hebrew and Aramaic. Naming Sulaymān Ibn A[...]. Possibly legal—but the phrases do not appear in the digitized corpus.

Letter fragment addressed to a certain Nasi/exilarch (nesi'enu, rosh galiyot kol yisra'el). In Judaeo-Arabic and Hebrew. Also mentions various other distinguished people: the judge of judges (qāḍī al-quḍāh) and the Nagid David—more likely David I Maimonides (1222–1300, held the office after 1237) than David II (1340–1410, held the office after 1355). Also mentions a certain Menaḥem, a Persian (al-ʿajamī), and Alexandria.

Legal document, probably. In the hand of Ḥalfon b. Menashshe. In Judaeo-Arabic. Names [...] b. Efrayim; Yiṣḥaq ha-Zaqen ha-Nikhbad; Isḥāq al-Nafūsī. Also Moshe ha-Nagid Sar ha-Sarim and a certain Dā'ūd. The former is probably Moshe b. Mevorakh (dates: 1112 to ca. 1126 CE).

Lower fragment: Letter. In Hebrew. Late. Only the address is preserved: to 'my brother' Yehoshuaʿ Zam[...].

Recto: Legal document. In Judaeo-Arabic. Regarding division of a property; mentions Seʿadya, Maṣliaḥ and his brother, and ends with the phrase, "my wife is ne'emenet." Verso: A few words in Arabic script from the end of a much larger document.

Letter, probably. In Arabic script. It seems to be a first-person narration regarding a journey (anā wa-man maʿī. . . kharajtu. . . ilā qarīb al-ẓuhr). Needs examination.

Small fragment of official correspondence. Only a few words preserved (...bi-idhn Allāh...). Reused for Hebrew text.

Ledger of expenses and incomes of the Mustaʿrib congregation of Cairo, 1588–1607 CE, discovered and analyzed by Dotan Arad. Some excerpts that were noted in previous PGP records: "On several occasions the notebook mentions that that Mustaʿrib heqdesh treasurer in Cairo relayed money to finance weddings in the qahal. For example, in the month of Elul 1593, the treasurer wrote the following in his notebook: “Furthermore, paid by [the beadle] Samuel Tājir to Mordechai Jamīla, the tawwāb (returnee to the faith) to help pay for his wedding 20 fiḍḍa, Tuesday, 10 Elul [5353]." "This interpretation of the term tawwāb is supported by another entry in the notebook written in 1600, noting 15 fiḍḍa that were given to support “a tawwāb converso (anūs)”. The arrival of Sephardi conversos in Egypt and their return to Judaism within a Muslim environment is documented as far back as 1459, a process which increased following the expulsion from Spain." Bibliography: Arad (2017) Welfare and Charity in a Sixteenth-Century Jewish Community in Egypt: A Study of Genizah Documents, Al-Masāq, 29:3, 258–72, no. 19.

Accounts. In Hebrew, possibly Ladino, and western Arabic numerals. Dated: Heshvan 5502 AM, which is 1742 CE.

ENA NS 27.7: Accounts in Ladino listed in western Arabic numerals. Dates are provided at the bottom of each entry and indicate what is most likely the year [54]92. The months Temuz and Tevet are also listed which helps to date this fragment as January-July 1732CE, which aligns closely with the join ENA NS 39.2. On the recto of ENA NS 27.7, the first entry also mentions one Moshe Ḥason "חסון" (l. 5r), whose name is repeated on the verso (l. 3v). This fragment's join mentions the usage of silver medin coinage which may carry over to the figures listed here. MCD.

Recto: Letter fragment. In Judaeo-Arabic. Most of the content is missing; the writer mentions shame/embarrassment, and seems to be apologizing for some delay in doing what he was supposed to do. Verso: Accounts in a cryptic shorthand.

Letter. In Judaeo-Arabic. May be too damaged to extract much of the content.

List, an account of expenditures, by Abū al-Munajjā al-Zariz, including clothing the poor (140 dirhams), money for the children of the nasi, for payment to the acquaintance of the dayyan. | List or account in which the Kohen Abū al-Munajjā, surnamed al-Zariz, collector for the charitable foundations in New Cairo, turns in 100 dirhams that were used for the distribution of clothing, and an additional 50 that were spent on another approved charity. Dated Tevet 1493/ December 1181. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, 423) Written under the authority of the Nagid Sar Shalom ha-Levi. A note written by R. Isacc the dayyan is mentioned. The transcription here is for ENA NS 28.15.

Informal note. Scrap of paper with the beginning of a draft of a letter by Shelomo b. Eliyyahu to his brother.

Letter. In Judaeo-Arabic. The writer is under house arrest (tarsīm) and is embroiled in a court case with a wicked man. He asks the addressee to take care of the wicked man.

Legal formulary. Bifolium. One of the entries is headed, "The copy of the purchase of Abū l-A[frāḥ] of all of the Dār al-Dhahabī. The copy underneath repeats the name Abū l-Afrāḥ in one place but leaves other specifics (names, date) blank.

Recto: Document in Judaeo-Arabic with two lines underneath in Arabic script. It may be an outline for the drawing up of a legal document, since it is headed "mā yuktab bi-ʿawn Allāh." R. Yeḥiel is mentioned. Verso: The page is filled with Arabic script and a few lines of Judaeo-ARabic. Needs examination.

Business letter. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: 11th century. Mentions Abū l-Faraj Yeshuʿa b. Ismāʿīl al-Makhmūrī. Needs examination.