Geniza Lab

List of distributions for charity, some of the entries similar to the T-S K15 lists, dated ca. 1107 (see Goitein, Mediterranean Society, II, Appendix B 19-23)

Recto: Letter of appeal from a woman who "is among the captives from Palestine." Dating: both Goitein and Gil date this document to the early Crusader period (early 12th century), but see Goldman, "Arabic-Speaking Jews in Crusader Syria" (diss.), p. 37, "Many undated Geniza documents have been ascribed to the period of the Crusades simply because they relate to warfare, ransoming, refugees, and/or massacres." Content: The woman requests the help of the community (qahal). She arrived this week in Fustat from Sunbāṭ. She is "naked" (i.e., in need), with a young child to take care of. Verso contains a very faded text in Arabic script (see separate entry, PGPID 35164).

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 Shelomo b. Yehuda to Yaʿaqov Ha-Meʿuttad b. Yosef. Dating: probably end of 1015. The content emphasizes the need of communal leaders and includes biblical citations from Ezra 7.28, Ezekiel 10.11, and Proverbs 16.20.

Settlement between Shelomo b. Yehuda and Natan b. Avraham, ending the four-year schism of the geonut. Drawn up in Jerusalem. In the hand of Ẓadoq ha-Levi b. Levi. Dating: Late 1042 or early 1043 CE (Goitein and Rustow); or October 8, 1042 CE (Gil). By the terms of the agreement, Natan was deposed and demoted to Av Bet Din, and Shelomo b. Yehuda was reinstated in office. "The terms lean in Shelomo's favor, except for one item: the creation of a board of five overseers to regulate the affairs of the yeshiva, including the Gaon (Shelomo) and the Av Bet Din (Natan)." Information from Rustow, Heresy, p. 321, and from Gil.

Letter in the name of the yeshiva, probably by Eliyyahu ha-Kohen b. Shelomo Gaon, to the communities of Egypt, probably October 1057. NB: This shelfmark does not exist. Gil's edition is based on Harkavy's edition.

Letter to Eliyyahu concerning the thirty-dirham balance of the capitation tax (jizya) owed by Abu al-Makarim, who is in great need of it because he is under house arrest, guarded by the hashir (rallier). The addressee is asked to arrange to collect money at the congratulation reception (wedding) of either Ibn al-Muzaghlil ('The Dazzler') or that of Bu al-Barakat. (Information from Goitein, Mediterranean Society, vol. II, p. 492.)

Petition appealing for help from Shemuel ha-Nagid (1140-1159). A woman asks him for help paying the capitation tax for her husband, who is in detention for non-payment and the family has no food.

Letter from the people of Jerusalem, probably to Efrayim b. Shemarya, ca. 1030.

A hastily written list of 37 contributors whose names are provided in abbreviated form. Perhaps a collection for a singer at a minor family event; 37 persons, including Abu al-Fadl b. Qata’if and the cantor Yakhin senior. (S. D. Goitein, Mediterranean Society 2:507) EMS

Pledges for ransom of captives. A pledge-drive (pesiqa) for the man from Antioch for the ransom of his children. In four columns divided further into six sections. The sums are astoundingly small. The total, which must have been less than 10 dinars, was far less than the amount. needed to ransom one captive. The man from Antioch, which was taken by the Crusaders in 1098, might have been ransomed by money given by a notable, partly to be restituted by the community. Our list might have been drawn up for such a purpose. There are other possibilities, too (see Goitein). The Hebrew term ransom of captives was also applied to many different states of hardship, e.g. a man in prison for failure of paying taxes. [Abu] Sa'd the katib (government official) pledges a quarter gold dinar. Around 1100. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 507, App. C 135.) There are numerous fragments in the hand of the same scribe, e.g., T-S Ar.34.186; see Penn catalog (https://openn.library.upenn.edu/Data/0002/html/h466.html) for the list.

List of about 95 prospective contributors, consisting of 4 columns on recto and one on verso. Col. I is superscribed Massasiyyin, the is, people living in the Massasa quarter. Likewise 'Attarin in col. III must be understood as an abbreviated form of 'Square of the Perfumers,' for many persons listed had professions other than 'attarin. Col. V Physicians, 13 names, mostly known. From the time of the Nagid Avraham Maimonides (1205-1237). (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 508, App. C 136)

This is a fragment of a letter asking for assistance, possibly on behalf of a man and his dependents. The author mentions that the subjects of the letter are 'naked,' a commonly used description of poverty; for the significations of 'nakedness and hunger' in petitions on behalf of the poor in the Geniza see Mark Cohen, Poverty and Charity in the Jewish Community of Medieval Egypt, pp. 156- 158. The verso is blank.

Accounts in Judeo-Arabic that list a wide array of individuals and quantities which may indicate payments given the recto's heading "עלם אל מדכול מן טיבית" or "Notice of the intake from Tevet". The verso is dated in the upper right corner of the bifolium as 5517 which is 1756/1757CE. The verso perhaps lists the ק׳׳ק of the Maghrebi Jewish community "מערבים" so this fragment may be a page from what once was a broader communal ledger. On the recto some of the names that appear include: Yaʿacov Naḥmias and Moshe Masʿūd. On the verso, many more names appear: Moshe Angel, Shelomo Moznino, Avraham Zin[?], Mordechai al-Sheikh, Menaḥem Kohen, Na'im Heykel, David Na'im, and Moshe Kohen. MCD.

Letter discussing communal matters, especially income derived from the market place by religious dignitaries. Mentioned are levies imposed for the purchase of new mats (see Gil, Palestine, 2: 743, doc. #400) and oil for the synagogue (notice mention of prayers), an estimate of income which the writer cannot calculate, a weekly revenue of eight dinar, and the market where animals are slaughtered. Avraham b. David, 'the joy of the yeshiva', might refer to Avraham b. David b. Sighmar mentioned with this title in ENA2804.11 (Goitein, Med.Soc.3:183). The letter also mentions the Nasi and ends with profuse expressions of submission. Goitein suggests that the references to the Nasi and the Yeshiva indicate that the letter originated in Fustat (Goitein, Med. Soc., 2:543 note 3). On the verso, there are four lines of greetings possibly in a different hand. This is probably a draft and unconnected to the contents of the recto. Similar expressions are found in other Geniza letters, such as T-S NS 320.9 (Gil, Palestine, 2:388, doc. #211).

End of a petition from someone identifying himself as a certified hazzan to two people in Cairo requesting their assistance. The writer refers to someone, perhaps al-Ḥasan Abu Sahl (?), taking an oath in the Palestinian synagogue. Undated. Verso is blank.

Letter of recommendation from Bū l-Barakāt to a dignitary. In Judaeo-Arabic. Asking for assistance for the bearer. The writer mentions an earlier conversation that took place between al-Shaykh al-Makīn Abū Sahl and the Rayyis.

Begging letter in Hebrew addressed to the 'community of foreigners (loʿazim) from a widow with five children. Already a recipient of communal charity, the writer requests that the \'almoner\' (gabbae= gabbaʾei sedaqa) be given instructions to increase her allotment (tamid) owing to her children's needs. She complains that the children are hungry and cold, and requests that the addressees also give consideration to their clothing. Verso is blank. No date. (Information from Arnold Franklin and S. D. Goitein, Mediterranean Society, II, 102, 105, 543 note 27.)

Fragment of a document, primarily comprising names, concerning a matter that involved 'the synagogue of the Palestinians.' Those mentioned in the text include: Yosef \'the welfare official\' (ha-parnas), Rabbi Yeshua, Shelomo ha-parnas bar Nethanel, and 'his honor, greatness and holiness, our master and teacher Efrayim,' probably referring to Efrayim ben Shemarya, leader of the Palestinian community in Fustat during the first half of the eleventh century. No date. (Information from Arnold Franklin and S. D. Goitein, Mediterranean Society, 1:293, 2: 58, 66, 71, et passim.)

Accounts related to the Must'arabi community of Cairo in the year 5556 which is 1795/1796CE. The bifolium is very damaged along the edges but the paper's extensive length is still apparent and suggests that this was possibly a part of a broader communal charity register. Many individuals are listed as orphans or widows "[נה]אלמ" with corresponding figures in eastern Arabic numerals, namely: the widow of Nissim Binyamin, the widow of Ḥayyim 'Esur, the orphan of Nissim Kohen, the orphan of Shemuel 'Eṣmi. It is crucial to note that the first names of the widows and orphans themselves do note appear. The verso is blank. MCD.