Geniza Lab

Will of a merchant. Specifying that his assets be cashed for his infant daughter (who should marry before the completion of the year 500 AH = 1107/08 CE). Containing various references to the India trade. Mentioning many people including Abū Yaʿqūb Yūsuf al-Qudsī, Abū ʿImrān b. Avraham al-Kohen, Abū Manṣūr, Abū l-Barakāt al-Ḥalabī, Yaḥyā ‘the son of the dyer’ and Abū l-Barakāt b. Shuʿayb.

Letter from ʿAmram b. Yiṣḥaq, in Alexandria, to Ḥalfon b. Netanel, in Fustat. Dating: 24 Elul [1451] Seleucid = 8 September 1140 CE. The writer expresses his worries after he did not hear from Ḥalfon for a long time. He describes his sorrow on account of the death of ʿEli the judge (Ḥalfon's brother), and on account of his wife's severe illness. This is the first of three surviving letters in which ʿAmram provides a detailed description of this illnesses of his wife. In this letter: "As for my state and my illness, and the illness of that wretched woman who dies before my eyes a thousand times a day. She has developed, in addition to her infinite illnesses, an illness in her ear for 20 days now, to the point that we have forgotten all the illnesses that came before..." ʿAmram also complains about his own "swollen" (muntafikh) state and his ophthalmia: "I cannot see where I place my pen." He also informs Ḥalfon that Yehuda ha-Levi is on the ship that has just arrived in Alexandria. (Information in part from Gil and Fleischer "Yehuda Ha-Levi and his circle", pp: 420–26). See also India Book 4 (Hebrew description below). VMR. ASE. Alexandria; Monday, 24 of Elul, 1451; September 8, 1140 Description from PGPID 964: See PGPID 9116. Description from PGPID 9148: See join for description (PGPID 9116).

Letter from the physician Yaʿaqov, in Spain, to Ḥalfon b. Netanel ha-Levi. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: between summer 1138 CE and March 1139 CE. India Book 4 (Hebrew description below; full English to come.) Spain

Letter from Moshe Yijū, in Alexandria, to Abū l-Fakhr Ibn al-Amshāṭī, in Fustat. Dating: ca. June 29, 1155. The writer ("Moshe son of his honor, our master and lord Yosef the teacher—may he live until the coming ofthe messiah!") writes a brief letter, almost complete, which is addressed to the family's patron Abū l-Fakhr b. Avraham but opens with salutations to 'the two esteemed brothers,' namely the addressee and his brother, here named ʿAli. Towards the end of the document greetings are sent to Abū ʿAlī. who is evidently the same individual. Abū ʿAlī Ibn al-Amshāṭī is known from sources discussed in pages 103–4, and with the assistance of this letter he can be identified as Abū l-Fakhr Saadya's brother Ḥananel. Greetings are also extended here to an anonymous brother, apparently the third brother, Ḥayyim. The letter thus not only testifies to the Yijū family's dependence on the Ibn al-Amshāṭīs but also provides additional information on members of that illustrious family. The letter is almost certainly connected to III, 47. Moshe decided not to rely entirely on his brother Peraḥya to ask Abū l-Fakhr's advice on what to do with the lac that he wanted to sell in Alexandria, as implied in III, 47v, lines 1-3, and addressed that important merchant directly: (14) I have attached these few lines to you to inform you of my condition and what happened (15) to me on disembarking. Your eminent excellency is well aware of (16) travel to Alexandria. I don't know what to do. (17) Should I sell that lac or leave it? I request (18) sound advice. Please do this act of complete kindness for (19) me, your servant, who is staying here. (Goitein, S.D. & Friedman, M.A., India Traders of the Middle Ages, III-47a. See also Mediterranean Society, III, p. 225, and Goitein's index cards.)

Letter from Yiṣḥaq b. Avraham Ibn ʿEzra, in Spain, to Ḥalfon b. Netanel ha-Levi. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: after 1 Nisan 1139 CE. India Book 4 (Hebrew description below; full English to come)

Letter from a Jewish trader in India to his partner in Egypt. In Judaeo-Arabic. Among many other matters, he mentions donations to pilgrimage sites in Iraq: "for our lord Ezekiel, our Lord Ezra, and Rabbi Meir." See Goitein's attached notes for further information.

Letter from Yeḥezqel b. Netanel, in Qalyūb or Fustat/Cairo, to his brother Ḥalfon b. Netanel, probably in Alexandria. Dating: November 17, 1140 CE. In Judaeo-Arabic. Probably written after Ḥalfon traveled to Alexandria to meet Yehuda ha-Levi. Yeḥezqel writes about the fear that gripped him when Ḥalfon left and boarded the boat, while ill and without any companion. The body of the letter deals with business matters, especially recounting disputes with others regarding debts. Yeḥezqel was helpled by Abū l-Waḥsh Sibāʿ. One of these disputes was with the 'youths' (ṣibyān) who owed money to Yeḥezqel. These youths recruited their Muslim neighbors against Yeḥezqel and threatened that their mother would appeal to the state authorities (al-sulṭān) to exempt them from repaying the debt until ('God forbid!' interjects Yeḥezqel) they recover from their illness. Yeḥezqel had already involved two trustees of the court and the Nagid himself, but the youths too appealed to the Nagid. Yeḥezqel continues with the matter of a certain aristocrat named Razīn al-Dawla, who is angry because he had given Yeḥezqel to purchase a garment for the winter, and the order had not been fulfilled. Yeḥezqel asks Ḥalfon to make haste in obtaining the garment, which should be in a beautiful yellow. It may be sent to Yeḥezqel in Qalyūb or to 'the Jew' (the tax farmer) in Shaṭnūf, which is the iqṭāʿ of Razīn al-Dawla. Yeḥezqel asks for news of Ḥalfon's arrival in Alexandria and asks him to convey an apology to Yehuda ha-Levi for not having written to him or come to Alexandria to greet him in person. Information from Goitein and Friedman. ASE. Probably Qalyūb; Sunday, 5 of Kislev; November 17, 1140

Page from a letter sent by Abū Naṣr b. Avraham from Alexandria to Ḥalfon b. Netanel in Cairo on the 23 of October 1140. The letter includes a report on the social uproar caused by Yehuda ha-Levi’s visit in Alexandria when everybody was eager to invite him. The letter contains a request for Ḥalfon to come to Alexandria to settle the disputes caused by Yehuda ha-Levi’s presence in the city. The letter also refers to business matters arising from the India trade, in which both the addressee and the writer were involved. (Information from Frenkel, The Compassionate and Benevolent, p. 523; Goitein, Friedman, India Book 4, p. 417). Alexandria; 10 of Marcheshvan; October 23, 1140

Page from a letter sent by Abū Naṣr b. Avraham from Alexandria to Ḥalfon b. Netanel in Cairo on the 23 of October 1140. The letter includes a report on the social uproar caused by Yehuda ha-Levi’s visit in Alexandria when everybody was eager to invite him. The letter contains a request for Ḥalfon to come to Alexandria to settle the disputes caused by Yehuda ha-Levi’s presence in the city. The letter also refers to business matters arising from the India trade, in which both the addressee and the writer were involved. Abū Naṣr complains about his eye illness: "I only wrote these few letters as I was housebound with a flare of ophthalmia that came over me." At the end of recto and beginning of verso, this proves relevant: "The account is in the shop and I am at home, so I do not have the precise details to inform you." Finally, in the last few lines, "Please extend forgiveness, God knows that I wrote this with the kerchief (khirqa) draped (musabala) over my eyes." The use of a dark kerchief to protect the inflamed eyes from light was part of the standard treatment for ophthalmia (see the tag "khirqa" and the chapter on ramad in Tadhkirat al-Kaḥḥālīn). (Information in part from Frenkel, The Compassionate and Benevolent, p. 523; Goitein, Friedman, India Book 4, p. 417). ASE Alexandria; 10 of Marcheshvan; October 23, 1140

Alexandria; Sunday, 5 of Nisan, 1453; April 5, 1142 This is the third and last page of a letter ʿAmram b. Yiṣḥaq wrote to Ḥalfon. As usual, ʿAmram mentions his troubles, including his wife's illness and his sadness after the death of Eli the Judge, Ḥalfon’s older brother, and he adds to them the sadness over Yehuda ha-Levi's death. After the trip of one relative to India, Amram was left alone, and the loneliness only worsened after the trip of another (perhaps the recipient). There is news of the arrival of another merchant (Yiṣḥaq al-Sijilmasi). Amram repeats his request to Ḥalfon to send him 'Tafsir Yeshayahu' and asks for help regarding the necessary permits to handle the estate of a family member of Ḥalfon. At the end of the letter, she asked about Yiṣḥaq b. Ezra's experiences. When Amram delayed his troubles for too long, as usual, he mentions in passing the laments that he and Ḥalfon used to send each other in their letters mourning the death of Yehuda ha-Levi, and in this paragraph, there is a special interest in evaluating the mark that the death of the great poet left on the Jews of Egypt. (Information from Goitein and Friedman, India Book IV)

Letter from an unknown writer to Abu Zikri Yehuda ha-Kohen b. Yosef. The main purpose of the letter is to ask Abū Zikrī to send 50 dinars to the writer, "because my lack of employment has killed me" (ll.12–22). The writer prefaces this request with describing how he was saddened to hear from Abū l-Ḥasan al-Dimashqī that Abū Zikrī had been ill (mutakassil) and how he rejoiced to hear that Abū Zikrī had recovered (ll.6–12). There seems to be an epidemic in Abū Zikrī's location. "May God protect you from this year and these illneses and protect your children for your sake" (ll.11–12). Goitein interpreted Abū Zikrī's illness as dysentery, reading "mutarassil" (index card 27123), but see T-S 13J22.28 and ENA 1822a.12 for similar instances of "mutakassil" (the exact meaning of which is not clear). ASE.

Letter from a certain Shelomo to Abū Zikrī Kohen. In Judaeo-Arabic. Containing blessings for the Gaon Maṣliaḥ and the India trader Abū l-Barakāt Ibn al-Lebdī. Reused on verso for an elegy for a young man. (Information from Goitein's notes linked below.)

Letter from Moshe Yiju, [after leaving] Tyre, to his brother Perahya, in Fustat. Dating: 14 April 1155 CE. When Moshe sent his previous letters from Tyre, he was terribly ill, and people had despaired. On the 5th day, God acted for the sake of His name, and Moshe was cured. See 2 Kings 20:5 ("on the third day I will cure you"). India Book III, 46.

Letter from Moshe b. Yefet to Tamīm b. Yaʿaqov ha-Kohen (apparently a merchant trading in the East). Dated: Monday, 8 Adar I 1421 Seleucid, which is 1110 CE. The hand is probably that of Ḥalfon b. Menashshe, who also sends his regards. The letter opens with a strong rebuke for failing to write and goes on to mention the arrival of merchandise/gifts, and greetings to and from various people.

Fez, Morocco; End of Tevet; December 20-29, 1141; to Almeria, Spain At the head of this commercial letter is missing, the length of which is unknown, in which the names of the recipient and the addressee were written as usual on the other side of the letter in front of the head. However, the writer clearly mentioned (in line 25) that he was staying in Fez in Morocco, and according to the request to give a message to Rabbi Yiṣḥaq b. Barukh (in line 12), who was one of the people of Almeria, and to take an oath from him, it turns out that the addressee also lived there. Several other people were mentioned by name: Harūn b. al-Bargeloni (= the son of the man from Barcelona), Abu Zikri, Avraham and Avraham (who may be one), Daoud and Barukh. Some of them are probably from the people of Fez, but it is impossible to identify any of them from another source. The main concern of the letter is the news about various goods, including goods sent to Spain. These included alum, indigo, gold, copper, lacquer, scales and weights, ruby wood and paper. Apart from these, the writer ordered a silk robe by special order for the mentioned Abraham who wanted to wear it at his wedding. (Information from Goitein and Friedman, India Book IV)

Letter from [...] b. Yaʿqūb to Abū l-Afrāḥ ʿArūs b. Yosef. In Judaeo-Arabic, with the address in both Judaeo-Arabic and Arabic script. Mentions commodities such as: silk (ḥarīr, khazz); coral; oil; soap; dustarī garments;. Mentions people such as: Abū Zikrī Yaḥyā al-Fāsī; Ibn Rajā; Abū l-Khayr Ṣedaqa al-Kohen; and Abū Yaʿqūb Yosef b. Efrayim who is to bring something to the sender in Yemen. (Information from Goitein's attached transcription.)

Fustat; 1132 This short letter was sent by Abū Zikrī Kohen, the merchant's clerk in Fustat, to Ḥalfon shortly after he left for Qūṣ, on the way to the east. Abū Zikrī Kohen served as Ḥalfon’s representative and paid a debt to Khiyyār for him. Also mentioned here were businesses that were in Halfon, in which Abū Zikrī Kohen and Khiyyār participated together. Other businesses were between Halfon and Abū Zikrī Kohen alone. Several other personalities were mentioned, some of them known from other places, some of them unknown. The small sums of a few tens of dinars mentioned are surely leftovers from accounts for larger businesses. Ḥalfon intended to stay for a certain period in Qūṣ, because Abū Zikrī Kohen knew that he would be there when the letter and the few goods he sent there reached him. From there Ḥalfon intended to go to Aden, and Abū Zikrī Kohen ordered pearls from there for his little son. The letter was written in 1132, and it is alluded to in Abū Zikrī Kohen’s letter to Ḥalfon, from Fustat to Aden, certificateח 15 , lines 7-13. Abū Zikrī Kohen asked Ḥalfon to write to him from wherever he could get to. (Information from Goitein and Friedman, India Book IV)

Letter from ʿAmram b. Yosef, in Alexandria, to Nahray b. Nissim. Asking Nahray to intervene with Ḥasan b. Bundār. Dating: 1094–97 CE. "This is the opening letter of the correspondence; Amram b. Joseph recapitulates what had been done thus far and asks Nahray b. Nisslm to intervene with Ḥasan b. Bundār through the merchants returning to Aden. Lines 1-13. Excuses for the writer's long silence: he always inquired after Nahray's well-being, but refrained from writing so as not to obligate a response. Lines 13-29. A letter of Abu 'l-Faraj Nissim, containing the story of his horrible experiences, had been forwarded by Nahray ten months earlier. It caused the family great distress, which was exacerbated by the illness of both the writer's sister (Nissim's wife) and his own wife, an orphan whom he had recently married after the death of his former wife, and who had borne him a sickly boy. Economic difficulties did the rest. "Man's road is not his [to choose]." Line 30-verso, line 13. In that letter Nissim had mentioned that he had shipped to Abū ʿAlī Ḥasan b. Bundār 1 1/4 manns camphor with the request to sell them in Aden and to send the proceeds to Nisslm's family; the camphor had arrived in Aden, but Nissim did not know whether Ḥasan had forwarded anything. That letter had been written exactly two years before. Recently a number of acquaintances, all mentioned by name, had arrived from Aden, some with letters and receipts from Adenese merchants. One receipt seemed to be connected with Nissim's shipment, and Nahray is asked to inquire into this and similar matters. Verso, lines 14-24. Having learned that the merchants who had arrived from Aden were returning there, Amram wrote to them letters and now asks Nahray to meet 'all of them' and to give them his letters. They should explain to Ḥasan b. Bundar that his "taking temporary possession of the camphor's proceeds as security against possible claims" was a great sin Verso, lines 24-31. On his way to the East, Nissim had met in Dahlak Sheikh Abu 'I-Ḥasan Salāma al-Maʿarrī, the brother of Sheikh Abū l-Ghanā'im. In the aforementioned letter (lines 13, 29 ff) Nissim had written that he had met that man again and asked him to carry with him the proceeds from the camphor from Aden, if they had not been sent before. Nahray is requested to find out whether this man had arrived in Fustat and whether he had brought any helpful message. Verso, lines 31-38. In the concluding part, Nahray is reminded to enquire about another traveler who was reported to have some news on the matter. One or two lines are missing at the end. {See the introduction to II, 3, for the dating.}" Description from India Book (see attached).

Probably Fustat; After Wednesday, 5 of Adar I; January 24, 1140 Avraham b. Yiṣḥaq al-Andalūsī ha-Levi writes, probably from Fustat, to his uncle Ḥalfon, who is staying in Alexandria, who is remembered as the one who 'left this place for us to have hope and a remnant'. The body of the letter usually deals with commercial matters. Avraham summarizes various business developments, many of which are also known to us from his uncle Ezekiel's letters to Ḥalfon, in which the matter of Abū Yiṣḥaq is Abū Yiṣḥaq Sijilmasi, who left for Yemen on Wednesday, the third of the month of Adar I, which is January 24, 1140, with goods and letters written by Ḥalfon in his hand. (Information from Goitein and Friedman, India Book IV)

Letter of request, addressed apparently to Madmun b. Yefet, by a person in inland Yemen, for help against Ibn Yiju, involving a shipment of five bahars (of what is not said).