Geniza Lab

Legal document describing a gathering to assess the bride's dowry. Fragment, only the right half is preserved.(Provably written by Moshe b. Perahya, the muqaddam of Mahala an-Kubra. Seems to be written under the authority of David Maimuni. AA) Verso: List in Arabic script, perhaps an account.

Legal document. Court record. Dated: 1084. Location: Fustat. This document contains a partial court record of a partnership between Yefet b. Wad‘a and Abū Zikrī. While Abū Zikrī was away travelling, Yefet invited Sa‘āda to join the partnership, for which Sa‘āda was to be paid 1.5 dirhams each day. Sa‘āda purchased henna for the partnership, and he called the court to validate his testimony that the value of the henna had dropped. As Yefet both invited Sa‘āda to the partnership in the absence of Abū Zikrī and agreed to pay him a daily wage, he appears to have been either the senior partner or a passive investor, while Abū Zikrī and Sa‘āda are active partners. Given that Yefet has invited Sa‘āda to join the extant partnership (instead of contracting a new partnership with Sa‘āda) Yefet and Abū Zikrī likely both had capital investments in the intial partnership, and Yefet had the task of investing the joint capital while Abū Zikrī pursued other trading opportunities. Unusually, the agreement between Sa‘āda and the other two partners required him to take an oath attesting to partnership accounts should the partnership assets lose value. The remainder of the document (lines 8-28) is a draft of a marriage agreement of a couple who were divorced in Tyre and subsequently reconciled in al-Mahalla. It provides specifics as to the dowry (including money, textiles and clothing, a drinking cup, and a mirror) but lacks the names of the relevant parties. This fragment may have been a page from a notary’s register. (Information from Lieberman, "A Partnership Culture", 75-76)

Fragment of a Judaeo-Arabic business letter, probably 11th century. Mentions Avraham b. Farrāḥ, Yūsuf b. Bishr, and a purchase that the writer made in al-Maḥalla.

Invitation from the Jewish community of Maḥallah al-Kubra for a visit to the synagogue of "Ḥayyim al-Amshaṭī" – 5 April 1950 – Museum of Islamic Art – (number 246) – in Arabic and French. (information from Ḥassanein Muḥammad Rabīʿa, ed., Dalīl Wathā'iq al-Janīza al-Jadīda / Catalogue of the Documents of the New Geniza, 54). MCD.

Recto: Upper part of a letter in Judaeo-Arabic written in a scribal hand to ha-Nasi ha-Gadol, reporting on the writer's troubles while traveling with Rabbi Avraham. "I hadn't known that his only care is making money. He cares nothing for peace in the community. He has killed me with his [cowardly deeds?]. When I was the muqaddam of al-Maḥalla and slaughtered and circumcised, whenever. . ." Verso: The address of the letter on recto, to Sayyidnā al-Nasi ha-Gadol Yarum Hodo. And, in a different ink and different hand, a formulary of a Hebrew letter of appeal ("I am so-and-so the lowly and despised."). The same person wrote on recto "crown of peace and truth" several times. ASE.

Two un-conserved letters, with no folio shelf mark allocated yet. One is a tiny note written on vellum, on which is a short note of greeting and a reply in a different hand, 13th century. JA The second fragment is from the bottom verso of a letter, on paper, addressed to the Head of the Jews in Mahala: וצל אלי דמשק אלי ריס אליהוד אלי מחלה כבירה . the address is also in Arabic script. JA, Arabic. AA

Recto: Letter sent to al-Mahalla concerning various business matters and dealing with the sale of sugar, chewing gum (mastaka) and rice. Dated 1165. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, pp. 605-606, and Goitein's index cards). Verso: Recipes in Arabic script. (Information from CUDL).

Letter of recommendation from Yehuda to Avraham ha-Zaqen about a righteous silk weaver named Tahor al-Talmid from the pupils of Avraham Maimonides (min jumlat aṣḥāb sayyidinā), who has "left the world from his heart" and sought the service of the Creator. The letter discusses Tahor's altruistic intention to marry an orphan girl.

Beginning of the taqqanah (ordinance) of al-Mahalla, continued in T-S 16.135. See there for fuller description. Ed. Blau, Teshuvot ha-Rambam, vol. 2, 516-518.

Document of a full-fledged barāʾa (release of spouse from obligations upon divorce) in which a husband (Abū l-Ḥasan b. Abū l-Faraj) and wife (Maʿālī bt. Manṣūr) from al-Maḥalla appear before the court of Fustat. Dated: Tuesday, 25 Av 4973 AM (=1524 Seleucid), which is August 1213 CE, under the reshut of Avraham Maimonides.

Legal document. Dated: First decade of Elul 1458 Seleucid (July/August 1147 CE). In which Abū l-Riḍā Yaʿaqov b. Yosef, "the noble and generous," takes over the tax farming of al-Maḥalla al-Kubrā from Abū l-Faraj Yeshuʿa b. Avraham and his son Abū l-Khayr. The nature of the tax is not specified; Goitein presumes that it was for the tax on the manufacture, dyeing, and sale of silk. The declaration begins, "I had intended to take over the tax farming of al-Maḥalla al-Kubrā, which is in the hand of the elder Abū l-Faraj Yeshuʿa b. Avraham and of his son Abū l-Khayr. Then I pondered over the straitened circumstances of these people, their liabilities and indebtedness to the dīwān and thought that if I took that thing from them through machinations, force, and getting the better of them, they would suffer damage, both from the side of their relation with the dīwān and their loss of income. Thus, considering their welfare prior to my own and confident that with God's favorable decree and help the welfare of all us would be served, I make this proposal." The value of the tax farming lease is 335 dinars per year. The proposal is that they will transfer the rights to the tax farm to Abū l-Riḍā, and he will pay their debt of 80 dinars to the dīwān in four annual installments of 20 dinars. If the superintendent (mushrif) and director (ʿāmil) of the diwan raise the sum owed for the new tax farmer, the amount of the 'rise' (ziyāda) will be deducted from the 80 dinars. Signed by: Zakkay b. Moshe (the Jewish judge of al-Maḥalla in this period); and ʿAmram b. Yaʿaqov. In the margins of recto and on verso, there is a philosophical (?) work in Judaeo-Arabic, mentioning natural science, astronomy, etc. (Information from Goitein's index card, Goitein's attached translation, and CUDL.) EMS. ASE.

Legal document (actually two different documents concerning the same persons) concerning the poor treatment afforded to R. Moshe, a new hazzan, by R. Nissim, the muqaddam of al-Maḥalla, and centered on issues relating to a marriage ceremony and the public evaluation of a dowry. Thirteenth century. (S. D. Goitein, Mediterranean Society, 2:74, 538; Mordechai Friedman, Jewish Marriage in Palestine, 1:296; Eliyyahu Ashtor, “The Number of Jews in Medieval Egypt,” JJS (1967), 238) EMS.

Beginning of the taqqanah (ordinance) of al-Mahalla, continued in T-S 16.135. This is an enactment passed by the Jewish community of al-Maḥalla, in which they pledge their loyalty to their judge Peraḥya [b. Yosef], to retain his position as long as he remains in the country and does not want to emigrate to the Land of Israel. Peraḥya was Avraham b. Peraḥya Ibn Yijū’s nephew (his brother’s son), and was married to his daughter Sitt al-Dar. He served as the muqaddam of al-Maḥalla. The enactment is authorised by Yehoshua b. Iyov, Moshe ha-Kohen b. Berakhot ha-Kohen, Shemuʾel b. Yefet, Natan ha-Kohen b. Mevorakh, ʿUlla b. Natan, and Berakhot b. Efrayim. The community passed this enactment in response to a power struggle that was taking place between Abū Zikrī Yaḥyā (later known as Mar Zūṭa), the head of the Jews, and local communities. Zūṭa had attempted to force the local judge Peraḥya to collect a tax from anyone approaching him for halakhic rulings - a fee that was to be passed on to Zūṭa. To prevent Zūṭa from appointing a different judge who would be loyal to him, the community of al-Maḥalla pledged their loyalty to Peraḥya in this enactment. (Information from CUDL) Ed. Blau, Teshuvot ha-Rambam, vol. 2, 516-518.

Letter from an unknown writer, probably in Alexandria, to Abū l-Khayr (?) b. Yūsuf, in Fustat, care of Abū l-Ḥasan al-Yahūdī al-Ṣā'igh in the market of the goldsmiths. The letter is in Judaeo-Arabic with the address in Arabic script. The writer is furious that the addressee traveled to Fustat, leaving behind debts in Alexandria and abandoning his wife and children, "may God not reward you," and repeatedly demands that he return immediately. The writer reports that the female slave left for al-Maḥalla 10 days ago, and a terrible rumor reached them that she is either critically ill (marīḍa ʿalā khuṭṭa) or dead. The addressee's wife is also "sick in her knee"; she had a fall, and now cannot sit up or stand up. The writer sends regards to many people including the addressee's sister and her children; Abū Naṣr and his son Salmān (?); and the old woman asks after her daughter. The addressee's other sister, Sitt Riyāḍ, his mother, and everyone in the house ask after the addressee's sister. ASE.

A fragment of a dowry list. Location: al-Maḥalla. Bride: Milāḥ (מלאח). On verso a colophon: a collection of Biblical verses for 9th Av, by Zakkāy b. Moshe who was a dayyan in al-Maḥalla 1127–50 CE. For a list of books in his library see Allony, The Jewish Library, no. 27 (TS NS 298.9). AA

Bottom part from a letter or a draft, or just a pen trial - the page is empty besides this address. The phrase המצב הגדול מושב הדרת הנגידות. Probably Mahalla al-Kabira is intended. it seems from this address that the Nagid use to sit there, but it is out of context and might be only a pen trial. AA

Fragment of a business letter in Judaeo-Arabic. "When he arrived in al-Maḥalla, I inquired from him, and he said that he went to you many times, but your excellence said that they were not ready. I ask that you please give them to the bearer of this letter, Abū l-Thanāʾ al-Kohen, and do not delay at all. . . . they arrived ruined (mufsida), on account of their bad craftsmanship (fasād ṣanʿatihā). . . ."

Letter from Aharon b. Yeshuʿa ha-Rofe to Yiṣḥaq ha-Rav ha-Muvhak b. Shemuel ha-Ḥasid ha-Sefaradi. The writer received the addressee's letter regarding the wherebaouts of Abū l-[...] b. Abū l-Maʿālī b. Asad and reports his efforts to track him down. He heard that he was in Damīra, so he sent two messengers, but he had just barely left and gone on to Jūjar. There is then a somewhat difficult line—perhaps that the writer again had to send a messenger instead of going in person, because Jūjar is on a different branch of the Nile than that of al-Maḥalla, "for between al-Maḥalla and it are two rivers (baḥrayn) and a lake (buḥayra)." The writer sent with the messenger several letters, including to the cantor and to the head of the congregation. The writer will follow the orders of the great judges. In the margin he praises but does not name the Nagid (Sar ha-Sarim Rosh ha-Seder). Apart from the address, verso contains several jottings in Hebrew. ASE.

An agreement between a person and his divorcee, al-Mahalla al-Kubra, 1374.

Small fragment from a bill of release regarding a shipment of tamarind to (or from) Mahalla an-Kubra by Abu al-Hasan, written by Halfon b. Menashshe Halevi (Date: 1100-1138). AA