Geniza Lab

Recto: Legal query involving partners in the royal mint whose money was stolen. In particular, when one of the partners runs away and hides so he doesn't have to pay his share. Written in Hebrew. Probably from the time of Avraham Maimuni, but not addressed to him. (Cf. T-S 20.83: an enormous legal deed dated March 12 1066 CE involving a 1000-dinar claim resulting from two partners work in the royal mint. 20.83 is another document regarding inheritance. It is not connected to this legal query. AA) NB: PGP previously incorrectly listed this document as NLI 577.5/41 (AA).

Marriage contract (ketubba). Large and almost completely preserved. Location: Tyre. Dated: Thursday, 12 Kislev 4784 AM, which is 28 November 1023 CE. The scribe is probably Yosef b. Yaʿaqov ha-Kohen (active in Tyre, 1011–37). Groom: Natan b. Shelomo ha-Kohen of Safed. Bride: Raḥel bt. [...] b. Avraham, a virgin. (Information from Friedman's edition.)

Bill of divorce (get). Location: Fustat. Dated: 6 Nisan 4973 AM = 1524 Seleucid, which is 1213 CE. Husband: Shela b. Meshullam b. Netanel ha-Zaqen. Wife: Sitt al-Nasab bt. Elʿazar known as Ibn Shalom. Signed: Yeshuʿa b. Daniel; Moshe ha-Kohen b. She'erit.

Letter from Moshe Zussman, in Cairo, to his mother Rachel b. Avraham Zussman of Prague, in Jerusalem. In Hebrew and Yiddish.

Legal query in Judaeo-Arabic. Regarding a partnership in a house and the death and inheritance of one of the partners. This is the original JA version of Saadya Gaon's responsum published in Hebrew translation in Sha'arei Zedeq, part IV, V, no. 12, p. 164. It's a direct continuation of מרגליות, הלכות א"י מן הגניזה, עמ' צד. Fםr another fragment of this responsum, from another MS see TS NS J 516. (AA)

Literary. Guide to geomancy in Judaeo-Arabic.

Legal query in the hand of Shelomo b. Eliyyahu addressed to Avraham Maimonides. Regarding a man who wishes to divorce his wife and pay her ketubba "in installments" (i.e. not at all). Information from Amir Ashur via FGP.

List of garments and textiles, probably unrelated to recto, also in the hand of Shelomo b. Eliyyahu who signs his name at the bottom. The list is headed "This was on Wednesday, the 14th of Av." Information from Amir Ashur via FGP.

Verso: Jottings in Hebrew, including the name Shelomo ha-Baḥur b. Seʿadya ha-Melammed. On recto is a literary work in Judaeo-Arabic.

Literary: The Polemic of Nestor the Priest (Qiṣṣat Mujādalat al-Usquf), in Judaeo-Arabic. See the book of the same name by Lasker and Stroumsa.

Magical fragment. Written in Hebrew and either Judaeo-Greek or Greek words that had simply become magical words.

Blessings. In Hebrew. Rudimentary handwriting. Unclear if this was originally part of a document or not.

Literary. In Hebrew. Looks liturgical.

Bill of divorce (get). Location: Fustat. Dated: Monday, 25 Sivan 1459 Seleucid, which is 1148 CE. Husband: Yosef b. ʿAbdallāh. Wife: Kala bt. Abū Saʿīd. Witnesses: Natan b. Shemuel ha-Ḥaver; Nadiv b. Yeshuʿa. On verso there is an addendum attesting that she received the get, signed Nadiv b. Yeshuʿa and Seʿadya b. Mevorakh.

Hebrew poetry. Many or all verses end with הנשמה לך.

Business letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Probably 12th century. The handwriting may be known. Deals with trade in pepper, brazilwood, saffron (zarnaba), dragon's blood (qāṭir), a flask of sorrel (baṭṭa l-ḥummāḍ), and other items. Also mentions the zakāt (here: customs?), someone who died in Beirut, someone who works as a goldsmith in the citadel of the sultan, the purchase of a female slave ('to be imported from [...]'), various amirs, the Qāḍi Jaʿfar, and someone referred to merely as "the accursed one (al-arur)." Underneath the letter on verso, there are several additional lines in Judaeo-Arabic, in a different hand, probably business accounts added later (בקית אלחסאב אלדי ענדכם פי אלאוראק...). And there are the remnants of a few words in Arabic script, probably from the address of the letter. Merits further examination.

Letter or letter draft from Muʿammar ha-Kohen ("the teacher of Qalyūb") to ʿAmram ha-Kohen, in Fustat. In Judaeo-Arabic. Recto consists entirely of pleasantries and flattery and mentions that the when the addressee had departed from the writer's location, he had invited the writer to stay with him in Fustat, however the writer had no way of coming to Fustat and furthermore did not wish to burden the addressee. On verso there purpose of the letter emerges: the writer is destitute and needs help with the capitation tax and is staying in the synagogue (in Fustat?). He previously stayed for two months in Qalyūb and received only the mūna/mu'na (living stipend?) and 10 fulūs. Regards to Abū ʿAlī.

Letter from Petaḥya (aka Futūḥ) b. Shelomo to Seʿadya ha-Levi ('segan ha-leviim'). In Judaeo-Arabic. The purpose of the letter is not clear. There seems to be a request concerning merchandise or possessions (raḥl) couched in very respectful terms.

Letter fragment sent to Fustat. In Hebrew. Only the opening lines and the upper marginal text are preserved, in two unusually-oriented diagonal blocks. On verso there is the remnant of an address: من محبه لا عدمته.

Aramaic text. Vocalized. Yemeni hand. Resembles Targum Onqelos on the making of the Menora (Exodus 25 and 37), but there are also significant variations.