Geniza Lab

Letter from Labrāṭ b. Moshe b. Sughmār, in al-Mahdiyya, to his brother Yehuda, in Fustat. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: January 9 (12 Shevat), 1058 CE (Gil) or 1061 CE (Ben-Sasson). Labrāṭ congratulates Yehuda on the birth of his firstborn son. There may be a prayer for God to protect the infant from the evil eye (r11–12; the first letter of the word is smudged; Gil reads al-ḍaw' rather than al-sū'; neither one is strictly grammatical). Labrāṭ heard from Zakkār that the infant was a girl and was only reassured when Yehuda's letter arrived with the news that it was a boy. Labrāṭ keeps the blessed letter with him and kisses it and puts it before his eyes; he gave it to his sister this week but made her promise to return it (r4–18). Labrāṭ continues with business affairs. There is an elaborate response to what Yehuda said about the pain Labrāṭ caused him by rebuking him about a business decision taken by Yehuda. Labrāṭ only wrote anything because it concerned somebody else's merchandise. As for what is owed to him by Yehuda, what are 20 dinars next to their relationship, which is worth the whole world? If Yehuda was agitated by Labrāṭ's rebuke, Labrāṭ is now agitated by Yehuda's response. Furthermore, this sum is nothing compared to what they already lost in Qayrawān. As the proverb goes, "If nothing is left of your provisions except a single cake, you might as well throw it into the sea" (r18–32). The letter continues with matters of trade between Ifrīqiyya, Sicily, and Egypt. Numerous people are mentioned: the Nagid, Nissim, Abū Hārūn, Ḥayyim b. ʿAmmār, the boy of Ḥassūn, Ḥassūn b. Mūsā, Yehuda b. Mūsā, Abū ʿAbd Allāh, the notables of Qayrawān and al-Mahdiyya, Isḥāq b. Bar[hūn?], and Yosef b. Eli al-Kohen. People who came from Palermo said that Zakkār was sick but then recovered (r33–57). Labrāṭ is delighted to hear that Yehuda has been studying Torah, Mishna, and Talmud with 'the Rav' (r58 and margin). Verso consists mainly of greetings. Labrāṭ is surprised at Yehuda's rebuke for Nissim's failure to send him letters. (Gil identifies this man with Nissim b. Moshe ha-Shelishi.) Nissim hasn't even written to Labrāṭ, who is two hours away from him. "He is dying, and he should write you a letter?" (v11–13). Nissim redeemed a Bible codex which belongs to Labrāṭ and Yehuda, and which had been plundered in one of the wars of Ifrīqiyya. Labrāṭ now wishes to make arrangements to reimburse Nissim and get it back (v13–17, 23–24). Labrāṭ concludes with the bad news of Ifrīqiyya, Sicily, and al-Andalus (v35–40). The price of wheat has skyrocketed this summer; Qayrawān is a ruin; the Bedouins are waging war on each other; people are worried about Sicily this year, for the Franks have attacked with a great army; they ('Franks') have also invaded al-Andalus this year and destroyed many of its villages, killed many people, and imposed taxes on all the areas they conquered. (Information in part from Gil, vol. 4, p. 36; Ben-Sasson, p. 36.) ASE.

Letter fragment from the brothers Yosef and Nissim the sons of Berekhya, Qayrawan, to Yosef b. 'Awkal, Fustat (sent in 1007-1013). (pp)

Letter from Yosef and Nissim, the sons of Berekhya, in Qayrawan, to the merchant, Yosef b. 'Awkal, in Fustat (was written after Avraham b. 'Ata' accepted the position of 'Nagid', in the year of 1015, and before Yisrael b.Shemuel b. Hofni became to be a Gaon, 1017 (Mosseri L-162 accompanied this letter with all the enclosure) (pp)

Letter from Faraj, the emancipated slave of Barhun Tahirti, Qayrawan, to Yosef b. Awkal and his two sons.

Letter from Ismaʿīl b. Barhūn al-Tahartī (CUDL), Yosef b. Berekhya or Moshe b. Barhun al-Taharti, Qayrawān (PGP), to (Efrayim b.) Shemarya, Fustat. Discusses responsa of the geʾonim.

Letter from Natan b. Avraham, probably Fustat, to Mevorakh b. David in Qayrawan, approximately 1037.

A much faded legal deed written by Efrayim b. Shemarya (see Bareket, The Jews of Egypt, p, 217). On recto description of a legal suit between Hushiel and his group (עידתו) in Qayrawan, mentions Hayyim b. Moshe and Shemuel b. Sahal. The deed continues verso. AA

A fragment of a legal deed mentioning a commenda agreement between a certain Farah b. Yosef b. Bānūqa and Nissim b. Shemarya in Qayrawan. AA

Letter from a man to his brother. In Judaeo-Arabic, in a lovely hand. Dating: 11th or 12th century. Refers to the addressee's pilgrimage the preceding year; Qayrawān; how the sender's wife died in giving birth to a son, while he himself was away in Byzantium; how her mother and family sent to recover her dowry (raḥl), valued at 200 quarter-dinars; how he subsequently married a minor girl (ṣabiyya saghīra) who is now pregnant (wa-hiya minnī [fī ḥāl]). (The phrase "...qām al-ḍawʾ" also appears here—the full first word and the meaning are unclear.) The sender has set up a shop in the square of the perfumers, and he is in good health. He refers to a woman (probably their mother) who is in good health and yearns to see the addressee's face. There are a couple lines of business matters at the end (mentions 1000 mithqāls of something and a ship). ASE

Letter from Yosef b. Labrāṭ al-Fāsī (identified on the basis of the handwriting), probably writing from Qayrawān, to Yaʿaqov b. Yosef Ibn ʿAwkal. Refers to disagreements in the Qayrawān community, and gives a recommendation to a young man, Yosef b. Avraham b. Sfūs, who is travelling to Fustat and has with him numerous letters and wares. (Information from Gil, Kingdom, Vol. 2, pp. 293-294.)

Letter from R. Sherira to R. Yaʿaqov b. Nissim from Qayrawan.

The main documentary item under this shelfmark is a copy of a letter from Rav Hayya Gaon to Avraham b. ʿAṭā' the Nagid of Qayrawān. Needs examination.