Geniza Lab

Signature of the Exilarch David. "A signature on an otherwise blank piece of paper, possibly an ex libris inscribed on the first page of a codex. It reads, in rough cursive script: הודו לי'י כי טוב \ מרשות אדוננו \ דוד הנשיא הגדול \ ראש גליות כל ישראל \ יעזרהם אלהים על כלל. Possibly referring to David ben Zakai, who reigned as the Exilarch between 917 and 940, but more likely the later, 12th century Exilarch mentioned by Abraham Maimonides. See Gil, Be-malkhut Yishmaʹel bi-teḳufat ha-geʹonim / Mosheh Gil. Tel Aviv : University of Tel Aviv, 1997, vol. 1, p. 437 n. 255; sporadically vocalized." Information from Penn catalog.