Geniza Lab

Betrothal document, Qaraite. Location: Cairo. Dated: Monday, 9 Shevat 5530 AM, which is 1769/70 CE. Groom: Ḥayyim b. Eliyyahu ha-Rofe b. Elishaʿ ha-Rofe. Bride: Raḥel bt. Aharon ha-Kohen b. Naḥum Kohen, virgin. Basic marriage payment: 50 silver pieces + a gold ring + 4050 large medins. Early marriage payment: 200 large medins. Delayed marriage payment: 1000 large medins. Bride's agent: her father's cousin, Shelomo ha-Kohen b. Elʿazar ha-Kohen b. Aharon ha-Kohen. Among the conditions is that the husband will not prevent the wife from visiting the homes of her family members when they need her. Witnesses: Shelomo Kohen b. Aharon Kohen known as Kanzī Dimashqī; Elishaʿ Ẓaʿir b. Yeshuʿa; Yehuda Naqqāsh; Yeshuʿa Maʿānī; and Eliyyahu b. Moshe Rofe known as Ẓaʿir.

Legal document. In Hebrew. Location: Fustat/Cairo. Dated: end of Sivan 5582 AM, which is June 1822 CE. Dissolution of partnership and settling of accounts between Eliyyahu b. Ẓahal and Yaʿaqov ha-Levi עכובס and Mordekhay Kapanton, who were partners in money-lending (sarraflik) and other forms of trade. A certain Khwaja Mikhā'īl is involved. Eliyyahu and Yaʿaqov sign, but not Mordekhay. AIU VII.D.99 and Yevr. II A 1292 are exact replicas of each other. ASE.

Non-Geniza. Letter from Crimea to Jerusalem. Dating: Catalogued as 1783-1796 CE. Names קלעא = Chufut-Kale, כפא = Kefe = Feodosia, and גזולויא = Gözleve = Yevpatoria. Includes praises for Catherine the Great. Reused for accounts in Eastern Arabic numerals on verso, suggesting that it reached its destination (rather than being collected by Firkovich in Crimea).

Marriage contract, template. Written in codex form. The original text is from a ketubba dated Wednesday, 21 Heshvan 5515 AM, which is 1754 CE. Groom: Yom Ṭov b. Nissim b. ʿAmram. Someone subsequently went through and changed the dates and names, probably as preparation for drawing up an actual marriage contract. The second document is dated: Wednesday, 4 Shevat, 5530 AM, which is 1769/70 CE. Groom: Moshe b. Avraham b. Yeshuʿa.

Letter from the Qaraite community of Fustat/Cairo to the Qaraite community of Istanbul. In Hebrew. Dating: Ottoman-era. The purpose of the letter is to request financial aid in repaying a large debt that was imposed on the Qaraite community of Fustat/Cairo. The writers explain that it all began when a Qaraite named Shelomo Gibor arrived from Istanbul together with a Rabbanite youth. The Qaraite community endeavored to help him, but Shelomo wound up staying in the Rabbanite quarter and refused their offers of assistance. He fell sick and died. There ensued a terrible conflict between the Rabbanite and Qaraite communities, in which it seems the Rabbanites went to the local Muslim authorities ('the Chelebi' and 'the Judge'), insisted that the deceased Shelomo was not of their party, and said bad things about the Qaraites.The authorities sent 'two great eunuchs' to despoil the Qaraite neighborhood; it was decided that the Qaraites owed 30,000 esedi gurush; the synagogue was plundered and two of the best houses were confiscated and turned over to the Rabbanites. There is still an outstanding debt of 1,600 esedi gurush, accumulating interest every month. The Istanbul community is asked to help. There is a postscript about an apostate woman, the wife of Avishay, who showed up with her son Muṣṭafā; these two, it seems, caused a stir when they claimed that the man (Shelomo?) who was buried by the Qaraites had actually apostasized, and they were wrong to have buried him among Jews. ASE.

Karaite betrothal deed. The groom taking upon himself not to marry another wife for 20 years, but if his wife will become childless he can take another wife after 10 years. She is also allowed to go out and visit her relatives but should ask his permission to do so.

A draft of a Karaite marriage contract

Draft of a Karaite ketubah

Copy of a Karaite ketubah.

Incomplete Karaite pre nuptial agreement. The marriage will take place one and half year after this agreement is signed. The groom taking upon himself not to marry another wife for 20 years, but if his wife will become childless he can take another wife after 10 years as commonly found in marriage agreements from this period.

Incomplete Karaite betrothal deed.

Legal deed, apparently settling accounts at the end of a lease. Probably from a Rabbanite court. In Hebrew. Dated: Sunday, 5 Av 5404 AM, which is 1644 CE. Scribe: Yaʿaqov Abī Zimra (a descendant of the Radbaz?). Signed by: Yaʿaqov Abī Zimra; Moshe Uzilo; and perhaps a third person whose name is sideways. Lessors: Moshe b. ʿAbd al-Karīm Berakaha; Naṣrallāh Yūsuf b. ʿAbd al-Wāḥid ha-Rofe; Avraham Qudaysī b. Yaʿaqov al-Qayyim known as Muqriʾ(?). Property: "the large qāʿa in Darb al-Midwār(?) where Moshe used to live." Lessees: Moshe b. Yiṣḥaq Uzilo; Avraham b. Yaʿaqov Marāḥa(?). Period of lease: 4 years, beginning Adar 5401 AM (the original deed of lease was drawn up on Thursday, 11 Adar 5401 AM, which is 1641 CE; apparently they drew up the lease in both Jewish court and Muslim court, as there is also reference to a ḥujja sharʿiyya—unless this phrase is redundantly referring to the Jewish legal document). Rent: 1 Abū Kalb gurūsh per month. The lessees also gave a loan (security deposit?) of 60 sharīfī peraḥim to the lessors (or perhaps each lessee gave 30 peraḥim?). Avraham Marāḥa previously transferred his share in the remainder of the lease to Shelomo Abū Qāya (in a document dated 10 Sivan 5403 AM). Now, Moshe Uzilo is transferring his share in the remainder of the lease to the same Shelomo. Moshe Kanpanton is also mentioned as a witness in the body of the document. Some of these details are unclear and will likely be revised upon further examination of the document.

Karaite betrothal deed. The groom taking upon himself not to marry another wife for 20 years, but if his wife will become childless he can take another wife after 10 years. He also can not leave Egypt for another country for 20, but can go to Jerusalem.

Incomplete Karaite betrothal deed. The groom taking upon himself not to marry another wife for 20 years, but if his wife will become childless he can take another wife after 10 years. He also can not leave Egypt for another country for 20, but can go to Jerusalem.

Karaite betrothal deed. The groom taking upon himself not to marry another wife for 20 years, but if his wife will become childless he can take another wife after 10 years. He also can not leave Egypt for another country for 20, but can go to Jerusalem.

Decorated Karaite ketubah. The groom is taking upon himself not to marry another wife for 20 years, but if his wife will become childless he can take another wife after 10 years. He should treat her well and not harm her or her relatives. She is allowed to visit her relatives after getting permission from him.

Betrothal contract, Qaraite. Location: Cairo. Dated: Sunday 8 Heshvan 5578 AM, which is 1717 CE. Groom: Yeshuʿa ha-Levi b. Ḥesed b. Seʿadya known as Qayyim. Bride: Raḥel bt. Aharon ha-Kohen b. Moshe, not a virgin.

Betrothal (erusin) contract, Qaraite. Location: Cairo. Dated: Monday, 19 Heshvan 5591 AM, which is 1830 CE. Groom: Avraham b. Yosef b. Shelomo. Bride: Masʿūda bt. Yiṣḥaq b. Shemuel, a virgin. Basic marriage payment: 50 silver pieces + a gold ring + 8240 large medins. The 'hosafa' is listed as 8,240 large medins. Early marriage payment: 200 large medins. Delayed marriage payment: 800 large medins.

Circumcision certificate, Qaraite. Location: Cairo. Dating: Of the original date, only Wednesday the first of [...], [..]70 Seleucid is preserved. The certificate is for Abū l-Khayr b. ʿOvadya b. Avraham b. Moshe b. Shelomo b. David b. Eliezer b. ʿUzziyahu b. [David?] b. Ḥisday b. Yeḥizqiyahu b. Shelomo b. David b. Boʿaz b. Yoshiyahu b. Sha'ul b. ʿAnan. ʿUzziyahu may be a brother of Shelomo b. David b. Ḥisday, who died in 600 AH (1203/04 CE) according to Ibn al-Hiti's Arabic Chronicle of Arabic Doctors. In that case, the present document can be dated to roughly seven generations following ~1200 CE.

Betrothal contract, Qaraite. Draft. Location: Cairo. Dated: Thursday, 5 Tishrei 5398 AM, which is 1637 CE. Groom: Yosef ha-Kohen b. Yiṣḥaq ha-Kohen b. Aharon ha-Kohen. Bride: Not named, a virgin. Basic marriage payment: 50 silver pieces + 650 medins + a gold ring. Early marriage payment: 200 medins. Delayed marriage payment: 800 medins. Conditions: The groom will not move away from Fustat/Cairo for 20 years, e.g., to Damascus or Istanbul or Jerusalem; he will not beat her when they are fighting, and if he does, he has to pay her 15 medins. On verso there is liturgical text.