Geniza Lab

Letter in which a father writes to the teacher of his boys complaining about insufficient attainments and explaining their being late.

Letter in which a physician, probably named Abū l-Baqā', writes from somewhere outside of the capital to his son-in-law (?) Abū ʿImrān, probably in Fustat, who shared living quarters with him (?), complaining that a Christian physician is ruining his livelihood, writing: 'he behaves like a charlatan.' The letter also touches on several small business matters. The letter starts with two biblical quotations (line 2, Prov. 3:26, line 3, Dt. 7:15). (Information from Mediterranean Society, III, pp. 164, 462, Goitein's index cards, and CUDL.) Further interesting elements: The writer is upset about the lack of letters ("is this anger? why this great hostility?"). He supplies the addressee with a potential excuse by saying that he is very worried on account of his eye illness, and became still more worried when the messenger Raḥmān b. Ḥaydara returned with no news. "He who is absent imagines the worst. . . . If only the lady of the house [my wife] were with you. She is in the most dreadful state, fasting and weeping day and night. After describing the charlatanry of the new Christian physician, he asks the addressee to find out if the head physicians in Fusṭāṭ will do anything about it: "Go to al-Shaykh al-Sadīd al-Ṭabīb. . . so that he will tell our lord ʿAlam al-Dīn, who will not approve of this, for he is against their (charlatans'?) purposes. If you hear anything from our lord ʿAlam al-Dīn, write to me." Apparently moving on to the matter of grain that has yet to be "released" (already mentioned earlier in the letter), "The judge Jalāl al-Dīn, the fiscal adminstrator (ṣāḥib al-dīwān), has arrived and seen the situation for himself. I have explained this matter to him, and al-Faqīh al-Mudarris has also met with him regarding this. He wished to release the grain, but had to travel suddenly. May God make the end good." Umm Sulaymān sends her regards and rebukes. The writer sends regards to Sitt Misk and inquires about her daughter and about R. Menaḥem. Goitein does not explain why he identifies the addressee as the writer's son-in-law or when/where they would have shared living quarters. It also seems possible that this is his actual son, particularly with the description of his wife's heartsickness on account of what they fear about the addressee's illness. ASE.

Letter (copy) from pietist disciples in Alexandria to Avraham Maimonides, complaining about persecutions by their co-religionists, who prevented them from practising their prayer rites. (Information from CUDL)

Letter from Daniel b. Azarya to Avraham ha-Kohen b. Yizhak Furat. Daniel is complaining that no letter had been received from Avraham for a long time, despite their agreement. (information from Gil, Palestine and Goitein's index card). VMR

Letter from Awad b. Hanan'el in Alexandria to Nahray b. Nissim in Fustat, in which the writer complains of hardships he has endured, and asks for details about prices of goods in Fustat, ca. 1045-1096.

Letter to Eliyyahu the judge from a female relative in Alexandria, complaining about his treatment of her family. Early 13th century. (Information from CUDL)

Letter from Eliyyahu b. Kalev b. Leon, a Byzantine, to the Egyptian Nagid Shemuel b. Hananya. Written en route to Cairo, Eliyyahu complains of the dearth of learning among the Egyptian Jews and their laxity of observance. (Information from Goitein's index cards and Ben Outhwaite, “Byzantines in the Cairo Genizah,” in Jewish Reception of Greek Bible Versions, ed. Nicholas de Lange, et. al., 208) EMS

Recto: Draft of a letter from Fustat to Daniel b. Azarya, concerning "tarima" - a room or apartment, made of wood, that was added to the house's top floor. The writer complains against Ali b. Amram. Around 1060 (Gil estimation). Verso: Arabic document, probably a letter. (Information from CUDL) VMR

Letter from Shelomo b. Eliyyahu to his father-in-law Abu'l-Faraj, asking him to write a letter to correct his daughter’s (Shelomo’s wife’s) behaviour, since Shelomo is losing his patience with her. Early 13th century. (Information from CUDL)

Letter from Shelomo b. Yehuda to the congregation of Alexandria from around the year 1025. The letter deals with complaints from the Palestinian congregation in Alexandria against Yehoshuaʿ ha-Kohen ha-Ḥaver b. Yosef and reprimands him for degrading the title 'Ḥaver'. The letter informs him of a negative decision in regard to the suggestion of Sahlan b. Avraham that the cantor of Alexandria, Sela b. Moshe will be granted the title of 'Ḥaver'. The Hebrew opening of the letter was published by Jacob Mann, The Jews of Egypt and Palestine, 2:116, (he misread the cantor's name as Shelomo rather than Sela). See also Goitein, Med. Soc. 2:56 and 2:213-214. (Information from Frenkel).

Complaint submitted to the Nagid, quite possibly Avraham b. Maimonides (1205-1237), regarding Siba al-Faqusi who had interrupted the synagogue service. The writer apologizes for troubling the Nagid with such affairs. (Information from Mediterranean Society, V, 490; Goitein index cards)

T-S 13J22.6 was published By Gil, Palestine, #404. It is the left hand side of the letter. T-S 13J7.6 is the right hand side of the same letter, published by Gil (transcription of the whole document) in his 1991 article of corrections and additions to his 3-volume Palestine. This is a letter of complaint to Avraham ha-Kohen b. Yiṣḥaq b. Furat (mid 11th century). The writers complains about the Christian governor Ibn Gorgas who built a church next to a mosque, a controversy arose, and now the Jews are in danger.

T-S 13J22.6 was published By Gil, Palestine, #404. It is the left hand side of the letter. T-S 13J7.6 is the right hand side of the same letter, published by Gil (transcription of the whole document) in his 1991 article of corrections and additions to his 3-volume Palestine. This is a letter of complaint to Avraham ha-Kohen b. Yiṣḥaq b. Furat (mid 11th century). The writers complains about the Christian governor Ibn Gorgas who built a church next to a mosque, a controversy arose, and now the Jews are in danger.

Recto: Letter by Sherira Gaon to a correspondent in Fustat, complaining about Egypt and the West's neglect of the Yeshiva. Beginning and end are missing, but the letter should be dated to 962 CE, written while Sherira was still Av Bet Din in Pumbeditha. Verso: Under the title תרגום אפאטיר, there is a list of parashot and their corresponding haftarot, including for special sabbaths and festivals, with Judaeo-Arabic instructions. Written in a slightly clumsy hand with many deletions. (Information from CUDL)

Letter from Avraham Kohen. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Ca. 15th century. Reports on the complaint of a teacher from Ṣafad who had settled in Gaza, to the effect that the local leader had incited the boys of the congregation (sibyan al-yahud) against him, a charge that the leader strongly denied. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 62, Goitein's index cards, and CUDL.)

Letter from ʿIwaḍ to Peraḥya the judge. In Judaeo-Arabic and Hebrew, with the address in Arabic script and Hebrew. Written on a very long strip of paper, for which the writer asks forgiveness, because time was tight and the matter was urgent. The writer reports that Ibn al-Yamanī rejected the authority of Avraham Maimonides, while he himself vigorously defended the Nagid. The writer gives a blow by blow report of his argument with Ibn al-Yamanī. The writer adds that the ḥaver R. Eliezer was sick (mutamarriḍ) at the time the letter was written (or: at the time he wrote his letter). Eliezer is upset at Peraḥya for failing to respond to his letter or to send him Isaac Israeli's Book on Fevers. (Information in part from S. D. Goitein, The Yemenites, 125–29.) VMR. ASE.

Letter from the Karaite congregation of Alexandria to the leader of their community, complaining about the helplessness and dissolution of the community. (Information from Mediterranean Society, V, p. 365) Reused for Arabic accounts with Coptic numerals (see PGPID 35173).

Recto: Letter in which a teacher complains about an unruly pupil. "Whenever I beat him, I do so excessively; but as soon as I begin, the mistress rushes along and, after having hit him four or five times, releases him. Had it not been for his illness, I would have killed him with beating, although as a poorly clothed newcomer, he is entitled to some consideration." The teacher wants the pupil's family to discipline him in the same manner at home. Verso: Reply of a family member to the teacher's letter on recto. The writer thanks the teacher for his efforts and emphasizes that they spare no pains in trying to educate the boy. He encourages the teacher to keep writing, as perhaps the notes will scare the boy into behaving well. ASE.

Fragment of a Hebrew deed in which witnesses testify that Ezra b. Shemuel b. Ezra, the representative of the merchants, came to them to complain about his sister, Mubāraka. He asked the witnesses to go and convince her to retract her claim to a share from her father’s inheritance. (Oded Zinger, Women, Gender, and Law, 346, 349.) EMS. Join: Oded Zinger.

Fragment of a letter written by Daniel b. Azarya, probably in 1051. A complaint about harassment by the brothers Yosef and Eliyyahu ha-Kohanim, sons of Shelomo Gaon, and especially about the older. Daniel b. Azarya complains that they did the same to Natan b. Avraham several years ago. It seems like it was written after the death of Shelomo b. Yehuda. (Information from Gil, Palestine, vol. 2 p. 675-677, #363) . VMR