Note: This database is re-populated every day at midnight, Eastern Standard Time. Information in this database may become unavalable for approximately 10 minutes while this process completes.
Regular expressions
The Princeton Geniza Project database allows for search expressions containing certain 'regular expressions'. Regular expressions are codes that can be inserted in search queries to match patterns of text.
^string | Matches the text at the beginning of the string |
string$ | Matches the text at the end of the string |
. | Matches any single character (including special characters) |
a* | Matches the sequence of zero or more of the specified character |
a+ | Matches the sequence of one or more of the specified character |
a? | Matches zero or one occurrence of the specified character |
abc|def | Matches either one of the specified strings |
[abc] | Matches any one of the specified characters |
Boolean Search
The Princeton Geniza Project database uses a boolean full-text search. This type of search allows users to combine keywords with operators to refine searches. Possible operators and examples of their use:
מולאנא מולאי | Search for rows that contain either of two words by simply typing them consecutively. In this case, the search will find documents that contain either מולאי or מולאנא. |
כתאבי +מולאי+ | Use a + sign before word to search for rows that contain all of them (in this case the words כתאבי and מולאי) |
כתאבי AND מולאי כתאבי OR מולאי | The keyword AND indicates that both search terms must be present in the results. OR matches either search term. |
כתאב –כתאבה | Use a - sign to exclude a term from your results (in this case, the search will include כתאב but exclude כתאבה) |
*כתאב ?כתאב |
Use an asterisk or a question mark as a wildcard. An asterix matches any number of characters. A question mark matches any single character |
Yevr. II A 1554
Letter from Fāris b. Ibrāhīm, probably in Jerusalem, to Elishaʿ Fayrūz and Yūsuf Sanbūlī (=Sṭanbūlī?, of Istanbul), probably in Fustat/Cairo. In (rudimentary) Hebrew. Dated: 11 Av 5484 AM, which is 1724 CE. The writer reports that 9 Qaraite pilgrims arrived from Jerusalem, including David Shoḥeṭ, Moshe, and Yaʿaqov Kohen. They were charged 23 אלטס en route in Ramle, and they said, "Our peqid in Jerusalem will pay for us." The צוהדר(?) of a government official came and demanded that amount from the writer (evidently the peqid of the Qaraite community of Jerusalem). He had no money with which to pay, so he went and took out a loan from 'the gentiles.' Now, after interest, he owes more than 35 אלטס. If someone objects that the Qaraites of Damascus should cover this expense, (the answer is not entirely clear; something is very bad in Damascus, and one cannot even walk in the roads). The addressees are asked to get the pilgrims (now back in Egypt) to send the reimbursement for the expense that the writer incurred on their behalf. "For the sake of God, they should send me the response, (or?) then I will go to Damascus, and these people will bear their sin." The letter closes with regards to various people in Fustat/Cairo and a reminder to send more charity to Jerusalem and two signatures of other people who confirm the writer's claims. In the address: "He who reads this without permission (reshuto), may he be buried without his shroud (kesuto)." The name Moshe Meyuḥas appears on the same side as the address, context unclear.
Library: NLR
Type: Letter