Geniza Lab

Letter by the son of the judge (dayyan) of Minyat Zifta to a certain Peraḥya, requesting his intercession with a certain sayyidnā David. Dating: If this David is David Maimonides, the letter would be dated 1237 CE at the earliest. The letter is a litany of the the troubles of the writer's father and the acts of his enemies against him. The father's troubles include the following. His creditors are demanding that he turn over his house to the Muslim authorities (sulṭān). He fell sick one week (parshat Ki Tetze) and wished to take out the Torah scroll and say the blessing—evidently this was thought to be helpful against illness. But his rival humiliated him and took out and made the blessing over the Torah himself. Information in part from Goitein's note card. ASE.

Letter of appeal or recommendation addressed to Moshe ha-Kohen. The introduction is in Hebrew and the body in Judaeo-Arabic. The writer reports that the bearer of this ruqʿa is a stranger from the people of al-Maḥalla. [It seems the letter here switches to the voice of the bearer]. He had generously opened his house to all, and among those who have stayed with him are Yiṣḥaq al-Sofer al-Siqillī (the Sicilian) and Mikha'el al-Rav. But fortune turned against him. Now, ever since Tammuz, he has been in this city (Fustat?). He never burdened anyone, but now he has been ill for a month and a half, and nobody look after him except Abū l-Faḍl Sar ha-Leviim. . . [the remainder is lost].

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic addressed to 'the father' Abū Sahl. The writer reports that a sick man is in dangerous condition (al-marīḍ ʿalā khaṭar (or conceivably ʿalā khuṭṭa)) and he requests help hiring transportation, possibly to Fuwwa. MR. ASE.

Letter of appeal from a woman whose husband had abandoned her with Muslims. "In this fragmentary letter a woman bitterly describes her marital misfortunes. Her husband brought her and her eight year old daughter to live among non-Jews. He then abandoned them with no food or drink. She fell ill [with pleurisy—"itbarsamt"] and was forced to turn to her gentile neighbours for assistance. Her daughter died. Deserted, diseased and bereaved, she sought release from her marriage. She was advised, "Sell your hair and ransom yourself". The iftidā' or "ransom" divorce, which is referred to here, entailed the wife's renouncing her claim to the delayed mohar payment. The purport of the advice here seems to have been that even if she would be left completely destitute and would have to sell her hair for support, she should initiate divorce proceedings and ransom herself from the marriage. This reminds us of R. Akiba's instructions to a man who wanted to divorce his wife without paying her the full ketubah settlement: "Even if you have to sell the hair on your head, you must pay her her ketubah" (M. Ned. 9:5). In the present case the wife seems to have been reluctant to do this. She wanted assistance in accomplishing the divorce without losing what was due her as divorce settlement (ḥaqq). This document is described by Goitein, in Med. Soc. 3, 272. Goitein offers a different explanation of the advice given the woman to cut her hair, viz. by cutting her hair and sending it to the religious authorities, she would humiliate herself and thereby compel them to take action on her request to perform the ransom divorce. See the reference on p. 487, n. 136, for women of the court sending their hair to an important general. The fragment is in a poor state of preservation, and some of my readings are uncertain." Information, edition, and translation from Friedman, "Divorce Upon the Wife's Demand," p. 117f. See also Zinger, "She Aims to Harass Him," and "Long Distance Marriages" (note 57).

Letter of appeal for charity. In Judaeo-Arabic. The writer explains that the family has no money for the coming holiday and no wood or oil; they have never been among the takers but always among the givers; there is someone in the house who is seriously ill (wajaʿ/wajiʿ ʿalā khuṭṭa). On verso there is a piyyut.

Recto: Letter in Arabic script. The writer excuses himself from attending in person on account of an illness (lines 7–8). Verso: Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Very damaged. Unclear how it is related to recto.

Letter fragment in Judaeo-Arabic. Very damaged. Mentions somebody "prostrated on the bed (firāsh)," meaning someone who is very sick. Also mentions the Jews and justice.

Fragment of a letter from Alexandria to Fustat. The recipient was ill when the writer departed Fustat.

Letter from Abū Manṣūr to his father Yaʿaqov. In Judaeo-Arabic. He complains about his terrible misfortunes this year ("everything that I had is buried," perhaps meaning "I lost everything"). "I have reached a point in my distress that no one else has ever reached... what I really need is monitor lizard oil (dahn al-waral) to anoint myself... pay whatever it takes... and make sure to get it when the sun is in Aries, because otherwise it will not help me... after that time, the oil solidifies and cannot be used." The sole reference to monitor lizard oil in al-Rāzī's Al-Ḥāwī fī l-Ṭibb is for obtaining an erection. It is still produced and marketed in the 21st century, but mainly as a topical for hemorrhoids. ASE

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic of a man to his social superior mentioning that a Nasi asked the writer's father to travel with him to Alexandria. The writer is very sick and is afraid he wil soon die. Also his mother is sick, as is his wife, so he asks the recipent to talk to the Nasi that he will not make such a great request upon the father. On the back is what remains of the address: "your slave Shelomo be-Rabbi Eliyyah." There is also a piyyut and 5 lines of a legal document dealing with the house of Ibn Qurra and mentioning the Iraqi synagogue. ASE.

Letter written to "my brother," apparently from Qus, dealing primarily with family members' medical issues. There are many eccentric spellings. Recto 4-12: The writer has sent several letters before this one asking the recipient for help. Recto 12-15: Yusuf (apparently the writer's son) has been sick for 6 months with tertian fever; his mother (apparently the writer's wife) has been sick for 8 months with ophthalmia, "like a piece of flesh" (the same phrase is used for women in wretched states in CUL Or.1080 J24 and T-S 12.575). The little boy's eyes are even worse than hers: his ophthalmia has progressed to trachoma (reading ואגראבו as a creative spelling of وأجربوا). For the relationship between these terms, see Ali b. Isa's Tadhkirat al-Kaḥḥālīn, translated into English by Casey Wood as Memorandum Book of a Tenth-Century Oculist (1936). Trachoma (jarab), pp. 85-89. Ophthalmia (ramad), pp. 126-135. Progression from ophthalmia to trachoma, p. 133. Recto 16 - Verso 5: The writer tells the recipient to pawn a table for 5 dirhams and to bring the money for a consultation with Abu l-Ma'ruf b. al-Taffal; the writer has also written Abu l-Ma'ruf a letter describing the wife's ophthalmia. The recipient is to obtain the ophthalmic medicines and send them urgently to Qus with a trustworthy messenger, to Abu l-Mansur b. al-Meshorer. Abu l-Ma'ruf should label each ophthalmic with its name, and he should also send dry kohl (antimony) for the wife and for the son. Verso 5-13: The recipient is to go to Abu l-Makarim from the well known Ibn Nufay' family (a man of the same name in Alexandria is mentioned in T-S 13J21.36) and have him expose the leaves of the codices (? מצאחף) to the air and turn them, so that they do not decay. The recipient is to go to Abu l-Surur (b. Al-Kaf?) and give him the same instruction, both for the codices that are with him and the garments, because they contain high-quality silk and must not be allowed to rot even a little bit. Verso 17-19: The writer gives instruction regarding the ground floor or courtyard of his home. ASE.

Letter. From a woman (see lines 13–15), possibly in Bilbays, to the Nasi Shelomo b. Yishay. Dating: ca. 1240 CE. This letter was likely dictated. The hand and format is the same as that of T-S 13J21.24 and perhaps ENA 2592.3. The writer excuses herself for not coming to the addressee's location in person. Her "temperament is scattered" (mushattā al-mizāj) due to a hidden illness (maraḍ bāṭin), which has made it impossible for her to ride. Instead, she insists that the addressee come to spend the holiday with her. At the end of the letter, the excuse is repeated. "Sharaf al-Nasab (a man, perhaps the bearer) will inform the master her excuse, that she was unable to ride and that otherwise she would have come to serve him." ASE.

Letter from Yiṣḥaq Ibn ʿEzra to Ḥalfon b. Netanel. In Judaeo-Arabic. Location: Spain. Dating: Perhaps the end of summer, 1138 CE. Dealing with the return of a defective mithqāl. Together with his business partner Yiṣḥaq b. ʿOvadya (who is incidentally sick), the writer has sent Ḥalfon a large shipment of 500 sheets of paper. Ḥalfon had business relationships with both parties, and the price of the paper will be credited toward Yiṣḥaq b. ʿOvadya's account with Ḥalfon. Ibn ʿEzra writes that he plans to visit Ḥalfon the following week, and he passes on regards from two Muslim viziers: Abū Muḥammad b. Abū Rajā and Abū Isḥāq b. Wāziʿ. Description based on India Book. [NB volume number in shelfmark is roman numeral I, not Arabic numeral 1.] ASE

Upper part of a letter by Berakhot b. Shemuel mentioning his being cut off from the recipent on account of his illnesses, including ophthalmia at the present time. The word in the penultimate line that looks like "sultan" (Muslim government) is כלט אן, referring to an acute attack of a humor. On the back is a query about litigants in a dispute involving Muslim courts.

Letter from Yehuda b. Moshe b. Sughmār, in Alexandria, to Abū Bishr Azhar b. Manṣūr (aka Avraham), in Fustat, ca. 1075. Mentions a shipment of silk to Fustat that got wet. The writer cannot come to Fustat, and he asks the addressee to handle some business and money matters for him. The reason for this is that he has numerous illnesses (amrāḍ shattā), the least of which is the jarab (probably trachoma, but the word can also refer to skin diseases), and so he cannot sit or ride. Furthermore, factoring in travel expenses, he does not think the gains will outweigh the losses in his money and his health. But if the addressee thinks it is absolutely necessary, he will bear the 'fasting and difficulty' and make the trip. Meanwhile, a rumor spread in Fustat about Yehuda b. Moshe b. Sughmār, somehow involving Abū l-Faraj Dā'ūd b. Shaʿyā and the ruler Sayf al-Islam (=Badr al-Jamālī?). However, the person who was said to have been the source of the rumour publicly denied it in the synagogue, swearing truthfulness on pain of excommunication. A court decision denying the rumour was also issued. (Information from Gil.) ASE.

Letter from Saʿīd, in Alexandria, to his brother Bū l-Majd Meir b. Yakhin the cantor, in Fustat. In Judaeo-Arabic. Rudimentary hand and phonetic spellings throughout, including the use of the alif-lam ligature as a lam-alif. Dating: First quarter of the 13th century. Saʿīd complains about the lack of letters from Meir and reminds him that their mother is critically ill (marīḍa ʿalā khuṭṭa), and that she is only sick on account of the fact that she will not see Meir before she dies (mā maraḍhā illā sababak alladhī mā tarāk min qabl an tamūt). Saʿīd inquires about the clay vessel (burniyya) he had sent containing medicines (or ink for the inkwell? this part requires further decipherment). He has heard that Meir's daughter's daughter has died, and he sends his wishes that she be replaced with a boy. He continues, insensitively, "My wife has given birth to a daughter." Then, "Do not ask about my illness, which you know about." The economy is bad in Alexandria and prices are high (bread is five dirhams). Bū Saʿīd the son of the Qa[ḍī?] has died, and Ibn Ghulayb is likewise ill. Saʿīd sends his regards to Meir's wife. Their other brother (Hilāl), Maʿānī, and Maḥāsin and his son Abū l-Najm all send their regards. ASE.

Letter from Abūn b. Ṣadaqa, in Jerusalem, to Nahray b. Nissim, in Fustat. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: August 28 (Elul 24), 1065 CE, based on Gil's assessment. Abūn conveys blessings for male sons to Nahray. "Al-Kabīra" and Nahray's wife are in Jerusalem, and it is possible that their visit is connected to this matter, that is to say, that they came to pray for a male son. The letter contains various details about the Maghrebis who are in Jerusalem. People are worried about a drought, and the price of wheat is rising. Abūn also mentions his books, which he brought from the West and left with Yeshuʿa ha-Kohen b. Yosef in Alexandria. Abūn reports that he has sold most of the quarter dinars which are mentioned in the other letters, and thus it is possible to deduce the year of this letter. Abūn reports that R. Yiṣḥaq has recovered from his illness (v3–4) and that Nahray's paternal uncle Ibn Sahlān is sick and isolated (v9–10). Information from Gil.

Letter from Avraham b. Abī l-Ḥayy, Alexandria, to his brother Mūsā, Fusṭāṭ, around 1075 CE. The writer, whose livelihood depends on payments from the addressee, asks to receive the payments early (r6–9). The letter also discusses the upcoming wedding of their sister Gharba (r21–27) and the family house which is to be sold (rm16–um13). Abū l-Ḥayy, their father, is sick with dry skin (nashāf badn, yubs) and lesions (ḥabba) from his hip to his foot, and Mūsā is to obtain a prescription for him from Sar ha-Sarim, i.e., Mevorakh b. Saadya, the brother of the Nagid Yehuda b. Saadya (v7–10). He concludes with the issue of his debts and the capitation tax (v10–15). Information mostly from Gil. ASE

Letter from a man in Egypt to his brother or brother-in-law, an India trader in Aden. In Judaeo-Arabic. Frenkel identifies the writer's location as Alexandria, the addressee as Ismāʿīl al-Fāṣid, and the date as 1176 CE, but does not seem to explain her reasoning. The letter recounts an interesting family saga. The addressee's maternal uncle passed away while traveling with the addressee to India. The addressee took care of him before his death. The family has taken great pains to conceal the news of the uncle's death until they receive a detailed account of his will. This long letter repeatedly describes everyone's anxiety waiting for news of the addressee's health and the will. His mother, when she heard of the death of her brother and the news of the addressee's difficulties at sea, fell sick and fasted until news came of the addressee's health. His father stays up all night praying for him. "If you knew how much reward (in Heaven) you receive from every letter you write us, you would do nothing but write us letters." The family congratulates the addressee on his purchase of a male slave (ghulām). Finally, the reason for the anxiety about the will comes to light at the end. The uncle knew or thought that his wife was pregnant when he departed, however, they counted 9 months, and there was no baby. They counted another 9 months, and she had a baby boy. The family evidently wishes to ensure that none of the uncle's inheritance ends up with his wife or son. Even the Muslims say, "We have never heard anything like what this Jewish woman has done. She deserves nothing but hellfire." The widow was able to round up some allies from among the Byzantine Jews, and they managed to gather 10 Jews for the circumcision, but with no cantor or judge present. In the midst of sending everyone's regards in the margin of verso, the writer reports sarcastically that the newborn infant also sends his. Information in part from Frenkel and from Goitein's attached notes. ASE.

Informal note from the cantor Abū Sahl Levi to his son Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi (identification based on handwriting and typical content). In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Prior to 1211 CE. The writer gives repeated assurances that Moshe's brother Abū l-Ḥasan (Yedutun) is doing well. Abū l-Ḥasan even asked to write this letter in his own hand, but the writer feared this would tax him and make him weak. Abū l-Ḥasan is administering his own medicine. Another note on the same topic: ENA NS 32.14, in which the recipient is identified as Moshe and Abū l-Ḥasan is identified his brother. ASE.