Geniza Lab

A curious late fragment in an uneven scribal hand and imperfect Hebrew. "I heard from the Rav Yeḥiel Adhan, from the inhabitants of Sale, that he went to Tetouan and found there a letter that had fallen into the hand (or was written in the hand?) of the Rav the divine kabbalist Yehuda ha-Levi ZHLH, and this is what is written exactly, letter by letter and word by word, just as I found it." The year 1784/5 CE (5545) is mentioned - perhaps this is the year Rav Yeḥiel found the letter - and then, "upon it is written in the following language, in the Holy Tongue, in letters of gold." The oracle reads "In the year 1820/1 (5581) there will be wars between the gentiles and the Roman Caesar. In the year 1829/30 (5590) there will be wars between three nations, Africa, A[na?]tolia, France. In the year 1830/31 (5591), the Afifo the Roman Rav, i.e., the Pope...." The fragment abruptly ends here. ASE.

Copy of a letter from Menaḥem b. Eliyyahu, in an unspecified location near Salonica and Constantinople. In Hebrew, with occasional phrases in Judaeo-Arabic. Probably composed during the period of the first crusade, as it refers to the arrival of German armies. Relates messianic events that occurred in Salonica (including the healing of a blind man and various apocalyptic visions and the reduction of taxes) and asks the addressees to share any messianic rumors that they have heard. Contains several noteworthy names of people (including a reference to Evyatar ha-Kohen, gaon in Jerusalem c.1083–1105, who had sent them a letter from Tripoli, Lebanon) and geographical areas (Romania, Thebes, the land of the Khazars). There is a full translation and detailed analysis in Sharf, "An Unknown Messiah of 1096 and the Emperor Alexius." ASE

The second block of text appears to be a prophecy attributed to Ibn Ezra regarding a Messiah in the land of Egypt, mentioning the year 1647/8 (5408), so slightly earlier than the Sabbatean movement. Needs further examination.

Literary treatise in Judaeo-Arabic. Soteriological: recounting the wars heralding the messianic era, involving Mashiaḥ ben David and Mashiaḥ ben Efrayim. Mentions the Byzantines, the Franks, and the book Seder ʿOlam.

Eclectic set of documents sharing a single folio. Dating: Early 15th century, probably. Recto: Letter copies. In Hebrew. The first letter mentions the Mourners of Zion. The writer seems to have received a rebuke regarding an error in something he copied, since he writes, "Perhaps the copyists confused the text in their haste to spread the good news from one person to another. When I saw it written like this in the copies, that is how I copied it, not adding or subtracting anything." The second letter is from the community of Cisneros (ציץ נירוש) to Ḥasdai Crescas (d. 1410), thanking him for his letter and conveying the good tidings of a merciful messenger of God who was sent to redeem the Jews from the oppressive edicts of the Christians. This letter may be connected to the messianic claimant Moses b. Isaac Botarel of Cisneros, who rose to prominence following the anti-Jewish edicts of 1391 and who counted Crescas among his followers. ASE