Geniza Lab

Damaged and torn fragment. On recto part from a legal query regarding a release of a slavegirl, a debt, an oath, a charity that should be given and a slander. On verso a letter asking advice what to do with R. Hananel's mother's slavegirl. AA

Responsa. Avkat Rochel no. 2-4. Published by Glick, Seridey Teshuvot, pp. 32-47. AA

See PGP 15875

Geonic responsa. Published by Marmorstein, p. 10-12. The scribe is the one known to write many such rotolus for the owner known as Ibn al-Baqra (early 11th century). On recto a responsim marked as no. 4 (see Otzar Hageonim, Ketubot, p. 211, no. 532). At the bottom another responsum contonues on verso (the begining and end are missing) concerning the blessing on the wine before and after the meal (Otzar Hageonim, Berakhot, p. 96 no. 264). AA

Responsa by RADBAZ, II, no. 839: 1. Resurrections of the dead 2. Regarding a Rabbi who excommunicated his student. Published by Glick, Sridei Teshuvot, 243-256

Legal document with signatures was cut to produce a cheap copy of a literary text - the surviving signatures are [..]riya b. Ḥasan, [...] c. Ḥasan, Daniel b. Yishaq sha'ul. [...] kohwn b. Bundar

Responsum draft about Reuben who gave Shimon checks to deiver to Baghdad and also lend him money. Shimon pawned jewelry as a guarantee for Reuben and wrote a document about it. Later on the monetary exchange rate was reduced. The query ends there. On verso a draft of the beginning of a ketubbah, and few scribblings in Arabic

There are two different fragments bound together under this shelmark. The top one contains the begining of a legal query regarding a court record written in R. Shnuel's court (probably Shemuel b. Hannanya 1139-1159). The bottom fragment seems to be from the end of a letter mentioning Shlomo Halevi b. Yosef.

Legal query regarding an inheritance, draft. The brother of the deceased had apparently not paid anything to the widow. The bulk of the query is in Judaeo-Arabic, with four lines of Arabic script at the bottom. At least the first three lines of the Arabic appear to be related (they twice mention Sayyidnā). On verso there is piyyuṭ.

Legal query, might be sent to Avraham Maimuni regarding two partners who had quarrelled regarding a certain commodity. The question is about the status of the partnership, whether Shimon is rafiq or sharik, companion or partner.

Letter fragment. In Judaeo-Arabic. Mentions Manṣūr al-Ḥarīrī. On verso, in different ink, there is a Hebrew sentence about sheḥita as well as a few words in large Arabic script underneath.

Draft of a legal query regarding a woman who was bethroted by a [erson who raped her. Her fiancee was later hels captive in Malta and wished to divorce her. There were no Jewosh courts in Malta able to arrange a bill of divorce, so he asked his friend to ask the court in Egypt to send hom a formula of bill of divorce, a formula of a bill of proxy and expalantions how to write it. The proxy return to Malta where the court produced a get, and it was sent back to Egypt. The Egyptian court found some defects in the get mainly in the name of the woman. Some approved it and some invalidated it.

Legal query addressed to Maimonides. Reuven gave a golden needle to Shimʿon, who was to pawn it with Levi. Shimʿon did so and gave the money to Reuven. Later, Reuven repays the money and wants his needle back. But Levi doesn't have the needle any more and claims that Shimʿon already redeemed it and forgot about it. (Information from Amir Ashur via FGP.)

Legal query addressed to Mevorakh b. Saadya, with his responsum. Concerning a trader who shipped 100 silk fūṭas from Alexandria to his partner in Tyre, Lebanon, where they were sold for a sum of 149 dinars, amounting to 1 1/2 dinars per fūṭa. Information from Friedman, India Traders, p. 178 n. 21.

Fragment of torn and damaged vellum, contains Geonic responsa. Published in Teshuvot ha-Hageonim Marmorstein, p. 2-3. On recto the end of a responsum on debt. On l. 12 another responsum on the custom to pray half in silence and half loud, which continues on verso. In l. 4 another responsum published in Otzar ha-Geonim, Berakhot. p. 63, no. 136. attributed to Rav Zemah Gaon. In li. 16 another responsum, published in Otzar ha-Geonim, Shabbat, p. 1, no. 2. In Ginzei Qedem, V, p. 85ff, TS 16.376 is published and contains another versions of the last 3 responsa here. AA

Responsum to Hodayahu ha-Nasi who lived around Avraham Maimonides' time. See a parallel in T-S 10G5.3. The question deals with a last testament and an inheritance

Letter in the hand of Daniel b. Azarya (Gil) to ʿEli b. ʿAmram. Daniel b. Azarya refers to notebooks of responsa (including some by Samuel b. Ḥofnī) that he would like copied by an expert scribe on good quality paper - not Egyptian paper, he says, but rather Andalusī (Spain) or Iṭrābulusī (Tripoli) paper. (Information from Gil, Palestine) On the back is a literary text.

Responsum regarding synagogue ritual written in a late hand.

Legal query, probably to Avraham Maimonides and possibly in Shelomo ha-Melammed b. Eliyyahu's hand.

Letter addressed to a 'Sar ha-Leviim,' asking him to help his son, who is imprisoned in Cairo for a debt. Fifteen dirhams had been pledged, but his son owes 25 more. (Information from Goitein's index cards). The letter is written by Yehuda Hakohen b. Tuviahu, who served as the muqqadam of Bilbays from 1180's-1220.