Geniza Lab

List dated 1593 CE (referring to Elul 5353 and the beginning of 5354), headed "the remainder of the houses of the qodesh of the Musta'rib congregation. It then gives street names and lists of people, perhaps the tenants of the qodesh. Some of them have notes about rent payments as well--how much has been paid, how much remains to be paid. The list may be useful for cross-referencing people and locations from other 16th-century documents.

Verso: Letter from Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi, in Qalyūb, probably to his father Abū Sahl Levi, in Fustat. He was very sad and wept the night after an elder female family member (al-kabīra) left him and returned to Fustat. He urges his mother to 'do the things that you told her to do for me' without delay. He requests more tutty; אנבר(?); and golden gum-senegal (? קאקיאס דהבי). The addressee is to get from Maḥfūẓ all that he owes to Moshe. As for Dammūh, he suggests that the family members go there first and he try to catch up with them on Sunday, or alternatively he'll try to come to them on Thursday and they can all go to Dammūh together. Note that Moshe cut up ENA 2558.18 + T-S 13J7.12, a legal document dated 1194 CE, and reused the versos of both fragments for letters.

Draft of a court declaration written by Shelomo b. Eliyyahu regarding the estate of the late physician (al-mutaṭabbib al-ḥakīm) Ibrāhim b. Mukhtār Ibn Ilyās. He bequeathes his property—including medical books (nusakh ṭibbiyya)—to the synagogue of Dammūh. Also mentions "al-rayyis Nuʿmān" and another physician with many titles Sulaymān/Shelomo.

Accounts for the synagogue at Dammūh. "That which Mevorakh al-[...] the khādim of Dammūh collected from Saʿīd b. Mevorakh." (The word דמוה is not written very clearly, but this seems a better reading than the alternative, דמויי.) Most or all of the items listed are connected to the synagogue.

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Full of glimpses of interesting subjects. The writer complains about the heavy rain this winter; he mentions the customs tax (maks); the great "ḥamas"; there is a section on the "shaḥn(?) of the courtyard of the house of the Sayyid Eliyyahu (the Prophet?)"—it seems some sort of construction work requiring measurements to be taken; mentions the shrine at Dammūh; and finally mentions copies of manuscripts and drugs that either have been sent or are to be sent.

Fragment of a 13th-century letter, probably from the family of the judge Eliyyahu, mentioning Abū l-Barakāt, Sitt Rayḥān and Sitt Jawhar. There is a request to purchase oil for the synagogue at Dammūh. (Information in part from CUDL)

Verso: Autograph letter from Moshe Maimonides to al-Shaykh al-Wathīq, i.e. Avraham b. Yaḥyā al-Najib, the tenant of a parcel of land near Dammūh belonging to the qodesh. Regarding both business and personal matters. Dating: ca. 1180 CE. The letter is written in a familiar style which indicates a close relationship between the two. Apparently, al-Wathīq, being on the spot, had to take care of the synagogue (removal of garbage and repairs are mentioned here), and of some other piece of land, apparently also adjacent to the synagogue. That land is farmed by a Muslim, whom Maimonides trusts. In his role of physician, Maimonides had apparently advised al-Wathīq to drink milk regularly, for which the latter rented a cow; he now advises him to give the cow up, since two cups a day are enough. (Information from Gil, Documents, pp. 321, #76.)

Circular letter, written in the hand of Mevorakh b. Natan. Admonishing the community/communities to contribute toward the upkeep of the synagogue at Dammūh. On verso there is a midrashic discussion with many citations such as Psalms 106:2 and 145:4 and Job 5:9, and with quotations from BT Horayot 13b. (Information from CUDL and Goitein's index card)

Lease of land belonging to the Qodesh, ca. 1180. Written on the surviving upper part of a leaf, this is a draft of a deed leasing a parcel of land belonging to the qodesh to Avraham ha-Levi (B. Yahya) al-Najib (al-Watiq). The parcel (saha) is in Dammuh, near the synagogue. It had been dedicated to Yesha'yahu ha-Levi b. Misha'el (Maimonides' brother-in-law) who, in a previous document, was appointed general administrator of the qodesh. The lessee is granted the right to build on the land and also to cultivate it and operate the saqiya on it. The lease is for a period of 30 years, for 180 dirhams, i.e. six dirhams a year; it is apparently a small parcel. In 30 years, it will revert to the qodesh. The purpose of the deal, from the point of view of the qodesh, might have been the revival of the Dammuh area, to prevent it from falling into decay. This was a practice known in Egypt during many centuries, taken over by the Muslim administration from the Hellenistic-Roman-Byzantine emphyteusis, meaning lease for a symbolic price, and sometimes exeption from taxes, in order to revitalize abandoned land. (Information from Gil, Documents, pp. 319 #75)

Copy of the will of Khulla bt. Shabbat in which she lists her assets (three different dārs held in partnership with her two sisters and one of their sons) and her intention to sell her ghulām (enslaved man) and split the proceeds as charity for Dammūh and burial expenses for the poor. The court tries to convince her that her charitable funds should be used to restore a bible codex (muṣḥaf) worth the same amount of money, but Khulla declines. The document also mentions: Yehuda Ibn al-Sofer (as the scribe of the original will), the daughter of Khulla’s brother Abū ʿAlī al-Kohen (as being owed 6 dinārs) and Yeshuʿa b. ʿEli ha-Kohen (as a witness). RR This is folio 1v in a bifolio of a court register in the hand of Ḥalfon b. Menashse consisting of four pages and containing four court cases. Another folio is dated 1135 CE. For transcription see attached edition by Goitein, or see Rivlin, Inheritance and Wills, #47, pp. 371-373

Account of the pledges, pesiqa, for [the synagogue of] Dammuh, during the time of Nagid Avraham Maimonides (1205-1237).

Statute in the hand of Efrayim b. Shemarya. In Hebrew and Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Early 11th century. Condemning and prohibiting all the alleged abuses in vogue at the sanctuary at Dammūh. Here is Goitein's summary of the document (Med Soc V, 21–22): I have no doubt that this document was issued at the time of the rigorous enforcement of Islamic law and mores by the caliph al-Ḥākim (996–1021). When the Jewish authorities realized what was happening in their environment, they understood that they had better put their own house in order. Like al-Ḥākim himself they overreacted, and, as happened with the caliph's reforms, the disapproved practices at Dammūh probably surfaced again after some time. In order to enable the reader to join me in the study of this intriguing document, which is almost a thousand years old, I provide here a full analysis of its contents. As so often happens in the Geniza, about one half of the sheet is torn away and much precious material is lost. It is all the more remarkable how much can be learned from what has been preserved.The Hebrew preamble states that "the Court," that is, the judge, and the elders had proposed to the members of the community to take action to remove all abuses from the sanctuary of Dammūy, that the community had accepted the proposal, whereby it had become a statute binding for all and forever, like an ordinance imposed by the God-fearing sages of old and approved by God. In the [Judaeo-]Arabic text, as far as preserved, the following points are stressed, enumerated here in the sequence they appear in the manuscript. The reader must keep in mind that originally there was at least one item between each two items noted here. 1. All should attend solely for devotion. No merrymaking would be tolerated. 2. Marionette shows ("Chinese shades," the medieval movies) and similar entertainments are not permitted. 54 3. No beer should be brewed there. 55 4. No visitor should be accompanied by [a Gentile] or an apostate. 56 5. No woman should be admitted except when accompanied by [a father, a husband,] a brother, or a grown-up son, unless she is a very old woman. 6. The synagogue building should be respected and revered like any other synagogue. 57 7. Boys, or a grown-up man together with a boy, should not [ ... ], in order not to expose themselves to suspicion and make for themselves a bad name. 8. Both men and women should take utmost care not to desecrate the Sabbath in any way.58 9. Playing chess and [ ... ] is forbidden. 59 10. Likewise games like "watermelon and clay" and [ ... ]. 11. Making noise by hitting something with a bang or clasping hands is disapproved. 12. No instrumental music. 13. No dancing. 14. On Sabbath water should be drawn from the well only when needed for drinking. 60 15. Men should not mix with women, nor come near them [ ... ], nor are they permitted to look at them. 16. In the synagogue women should pray in the gallery upstairs and men in the hall downstairs, as is established by ancient custom, sunna. 61 17. Visitors to the place62 (in times other than those of pilgrimages) should go there only for a serious purpose, not for pleasure or for something that, by deed or word, might endanger them or others or damage the compound. They should provide themselves with keys and not tamper with the locks, nor enter through the gardens or by scaling a wall.63 18. The community has empowered [ ... ] to represent them in anything concerning that synagogue-may God keep it. The statute summarized above had no reason to mention one important aspect of the pilgrimage to Dammūh besides prayers and pastimes: the place and time when so many people flocked together provided a convenient opportunity for public announcements, especially those that had serious consequences for the persons concerned, such as bans and excommunications.

Letter, referring to the Nagid, a certain Menaḥem, Dammūh, the cloth trade, the death of a woman’s child and the desire of the writer to see Zakkay again, possibly the addressee of the letter. Dated Shabbat ba-Midbar 1651 of the Seleucid Era (= 1340-1341 CE). (Information from CUDL)

Letter addressed to Yosef ha-Levi. In Judaeo-Arabic. Deals with a visit to the synagogue at Dammūh during a time of unrest. The sender explains that he comes into Fustat to greet all his friends and relatives, because he would worry about them if they traveled to see him. He ran into Abū l-Ḥasan, the son of the addressee, who was stubbornly insistent on going to Dammūh. The sender tried mightily to dissuade him from going there at all. Finally he succeeded in getting Abū l-Ḥasan to ride with him by boat instead of walking there. They arrived safely and prayed with the quorum. Abū l-Ḥasan is now insisting on staying there all day Tuesday and only coming back to Fustat on Wednesday. The sender tries to persuade him to return on Tuesday (the day of this letter) but without success. The sender insists that he is not neglecting Abū l-Ḥasan or encouraging his idleness. The addressee must not blame him. ASE

Accounting of expenditures in Dammuh ca. 1182-83.

Account of expenditures in Dammuh (ca. 1182-3) by Sayyid al-Ahl, consisting of a list of disbursements made at the plantation in Dammuh in the course of a year. Most of the items pertain to building operations, including labor and materials, such as fence, mud and lime and stones for the well. Eight dirhams are mentioned as expenditure for the supply of palm branches. The total yearly amount of the expenditures was 628 dirhams, and since probably wariq dirhams are meant, this would represent ca. 15.5 dinars. (Information from Gil, Documents, pp. 324 #78) EMS

Fragment of a letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Recto refers to Abū l-Rabīʿ al-Levi "my friend, the ascetic (al-zāhid)"; Rabbenu Yosef b. Menaḥem; and a commentary on Lamentations. Verso seems to preserve the text of a prayer to be recited at Dammūh/Dimwa: "May the Protector of Israel, just as he protected us on the Nile when we came to Dammūh, thus may He protect us on land, and trust in Him may He be exalted... the ancestors...." (Information in part from CUDL)

Recto: Letter fragment in Hebrew and Judaeo-Arabic, greeting a dignitary and his two sons, including Ḥayyim ha-Sar ha-Adir he-Ḥakham. Verso: Document in Judaeo-Arabic, mentioning something that arrived, probably to the Synagogue of Moshe (in Dammūh). (Information from CUDL)

Recto: Petition. In Arabic script. Dating: Probably Mamluk-era. Concerning the synagogue at Dammūh and asking for orders/guidance (waṣāh). Perhaps having to do with the synagogue’s exemption from tax status, because the ʿummāl have been harassing them. Reused by Nāṣir al-Adīb al-ʿIbrī (d. after 1298).

Account in Judaeo-Arabic. Rudimentary hand. Some or all of the list is for items for the synagogue at Dammūh, including: "hot oil" (lamp oil, likely linseed), "good oil" (olive), pullets (farārīj), a watermelon (biṭṭīkha), soap (ṣābūn), and sulfur (kibrīt). ASE.