Geniza Lab

Business letter from Natan b. Nahray, in Alexandria, to Nahray b. Nissim, in Fustat. Dated: ca. 1063 CE. Natan's son, and his son's eldest daughter, came down with an illness (ʿāriḍ). He despaired of them and went out of his mind, until God sent some improvement. But they are still weak. He interjects, "By God, watch out for the smallpox (iyyāka al-juddarī)!" The son and granddaughter have erupted in "jarab" and "ḥabba" (skin conditions). Hopefully with this suffering something worse has been averted from them. Please pray for them (r13–19).

Personal letter giving condolences on the occasion of the death of a little girl (presumably the daughter of the recipient) and reporting family news. (Information from Mediterranean Society, IV, pp. 97, 374; V, pp. 110, 536.) Also: "The daughter of Futūḥ al-Shamshūrī says that the wife of my paternal uncle fasts for her son because of his illness. But he has no illness (maraḍ) and nothing wrong with him (ba's), only his body is covered with little scabs (ḥuṣayfāt)." Dating: Probably early 13th century, based on the mention of Abū l-Futūḥ al-Shamshūrī in a letter by Shelomo b. Eliyyahu: Moss. VII,170.1. This letter also mentions the faqīh Jamāl al-Dīn, presumably the same as in Bodl. MS heb. c 28/64.

Short letter from Bū l-Majd (Meir b. Yakhin), Fustat, to Bū l-Futūḥ (Yehuda b. al-ʿAmmānī), Alexandria. Meir reports that he received the letter containing the two qawls and apologizes for having sent a letter complaining about not receiving them shortly earlier. He bolsters his apology by saying he was sick when he sent the previous letter. He then addresses the complaint of Yehuda's cousin, Bū l-Maʿālī, that Meir has not been sending him letters. Here the letter is torn off horizontally. The verso is more faded but probably mostly decipherable. Meir inquires whether his cousin ("ibn khali") Manṣūr b. Maʿālī is in Alexandria with Yehuda, because he heard that he had been in Minyat Zifta ("May God guide his perplexity"). ASE.

Letter in Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Likely ca. 12th–14th century. "When the letter arrived which you sent with the wife of my maternal uncle to Ibn Ṣaghīr al-Ḥakīm (the physician), I came to him, and he read it after kissing it... in the night, when I was sick from the severe headache, and I had convulsions (or 'went mad'? inṣaraʿtu) from the evening onward." He or she mentions this in the context of reading the addressee's letter, so it is possible that the inṣirāʿ is meant to indicate a reaction to whatever news was in the letter. The continuation is tricky to understand. Refers repeatedly to someone called al-Saʿīd and discusses the waste disposal (ramy al-turāb) of a certain apartment (al-qāʿa). On verso mentions the house of Sayf al-Dīn al-Rūmī.

Letter from an unknown writer, probably in Alexandria, to Abū l-Khayr (?) b. Yūsuf, in Fustat, care of Abū l-Ḥasan al-Yahūdī al-Ṣā'igh in the market of the goldsmiths. The letter is in Judaeo-Arabic with the address in Arabic script. The writer is furious that the addressee traveled to Fustat, leaving behind debts in Alexandria and abandoning his wife and children, "may God not reward you," and repeatedly demands that he return immediately. The writer reports that the female slave left for al-Maḥalla 10 days ago, and a terrible rumor reached them that she is either critically ill (marīḍa ʿalā khuṭṭa) or dead. The addressee's wife is also "sick in her knee"; she had a fall, and now cannot sit up or stand up. The writer sends regards to many people including the addressee's sister and her children; Abū Naṣr and his son Salmān (?); and the old woman asks after her daughter. The addressee's other sister, Sitt Riyāḍ, his mother, and everyone in the house ask after the addressee's sister. ASE.

Letter from Manṣūr b. Sālim, in Alexandria, to his son Abū Najm, who has gone on an adventurous journey or had run away to the army. The father mentions that he has sent to his son twenty letters and then twenty more, but the son never replied. The father states ‘I have never seen a character or religion like yours and never heard of the like’ and closes his letter with an exhortation ‘return to God and bring your mind back to yourself.' Abū Najm's mother perishes on account of his actions, and her vision is fading (alternate readings are possible, but "inḍarra baṣaruhā" seems likely as inḍarra derives from the same root as ḍarīr/maḍrūr, both meaning "blind"). Several other letters by the same man are known, all of them either addressed to Manṣūr's contacts in Fustat, asking them to help him find his son, or directly to his son (like this one). See tag. (Information from CUDL and Mediterranean Society, II, p. 379; V, p. 189.)

Letter from Araḥ b. Natan (aka Musāfir b. Wahb), in Alexandria, to the Nagid Mevorakh, in Fustat. The sender and addressee are not named in the letter, but Frenkel identified them on the basis of handwriting and content. Dating: toward the end of Mevorakh's tenure as nagid (1094–1111; Frenkel). This long letter, written between the lines of the Arabic text on recto, mentions disputes in the Jewish community, especially an ongoing dispute with the Maghribi community over the payment of the capitation tax. The Banū Naḥum family is involved (a well-known family from Alexandria). The letter also expresses the dissatisfaction of the community with its muqaddam. Araḥ functions in the letter as the 'nā'ib' (deputy) of the Nagid in Alexandria. (Another interpretation of the word niyāba in line 31 would be that "they [Araḥ's enemies] have destroyed the community in the name of representing you.") In a postscript, Araḥ reports to the Nagid how he dealt with a case of a widow who was exploited. Araḥ complains in passing about the severe illness that he contracted while traveling (lines 14–15), perhaps to support his self-presentation as someone who takes care of the community despite all that it costs him. Information in part from Frenkel. Note that this letter is written on an enormous sheet of paper that originally contained an Arabic state document, subsequently reused for a copy of Shemuel b. Ḥofni's Kitāb al-Shurūṭ on verso, and ultimately torn up and reused for this letter and other documents. Joins: T-S Ar.18(2).193 + T-S Ar.30.306 + T-S Ar.30.314: Marina Rustow. T-S 24.21: recorded in FGP from the Sussman Talmud catalogue.

Interesting letter from a sick man to Mevorakh, probably his brother. The language is Judaeo-Arabic with Hebrew vowels (!). The writer revised the letter, probably after completing it, and added in several missing alifs. He has an unspecified illness. He is lying sick in the house of Baqā' b. al-Muṣinn (at least in the daytime), also attended by Ibn al-ʿAṣṣār. "From inactivity (qillat al-qawām) my state has weakened (talif ḥālī). I am now accustomed to bloodletting and purging (sakb al-dam wa-l-ishāl)." He describes his nights and days twice. Ibn al-Muṣinn is also in distress because his little boy is also sick. [The physician] Ibn al-ʿAṣṣār was summoned and asked whether the patient would live or die and said to him something cryptic ('You are either (illam) going to survive or (illam) completely recover' (?)). Upon which, Baqā' said to him, 'For the sake of deliverance, do exactly as he says.' People (nās) concerned themselves (ihtammū) and kindly brought the patient everything he needed (itfaḍḍalū bi-kull mā aḥtāj). In the nights he has rosebuds (? al-zirr al-ward) but these only last him for one third of the night (?), and thus he also needs sugar (?). Purpose of writing: Requesting sugar, and a blanket "from the kitchen." He had previously written regarding the sugar. It resembles a letter of appeal except that it is quite informal, probably disrespectful if the recipient were not his actual brother. The writer states that he has already tried drawing money from other sources so as not to be a burden. Writes once, "you ask me what afflicts me," and then again, "Do not neglect me so as not to [later] ask what afflicts me." Date: Probably early 13th century. Abū l-Baqā' b. al-Muṣinn ("son of the stinkard") appears also in T-S NS J32, but this document is undated. A Kohen b. al-Muṣinn appears in a 1237 document (T-S 12.413), and the daughter of al-Muṣinn appears in a 1243 document (T-S 8J6.15), but these are not necessarily related. Most compellingly: a physician named Ibn al-ʿAṣṣār appears in a 1227 document (T-S 8J32.7). ASE.

Letter of appeal addressed to a Jewish dignitary (ha-dayyan ha-maskil). The introduction is in Hebrew and the body is in Judaeo-Arabic. The writer prays that the addressee will be spared "the diseases of this year." He states that he is impoverished and suffering from an illness. "If I live, you will see my gratitude for you in public." He asks the addressee to send a messenger to the Nagid on his behalf. The letter contains the interesting oath "wa-ḥaqq al-yiḥud," where yiḥud = tawḥīd. He also writes that al-ḥūrma (his wife?) is as sick as can be. Information in part from Baker/Polliack catalog.

Informal note from ʿAbd al-Karīm to R. Yosef . He asks the addressee to urgently send his grandmother ("the mother of Sutayta") for Shabbat, because the boy himself is sick (mā kān ṭayyib) and so is his father. The father had been carried home (maḥmūl) on a bed (?) on Wednesday. (Information from Goitein's index cards.) ASE.

Letter mainly consisting of business accounts. In Judaeo-Arabic. Mentions Tripoli and Cairo. Concludes with a note, "how shall we divide it? Perhaps .... because I am sick."

Letter in Arabic script. Fragment (lower part only). In lines 2–3 there is a report on the illness of a woman, who is now doing better (wa-lākin mā hiya illā qad aṣābat al-ʿāfiya). Then from line 5 to the end, there are greetings to numerous people, including Sayyid al-Ahl someone's brother-in-law and to 'my masters the judges' (al-dayyānīn). Merits further examination. On verso there are magical names in Judaeo-Arabic, apparently the names of spirits/jinns/demons of the clouds (? saḥabī): Maymūn, Zawbaʿa, Shamhorash (cf. T-S AS 145.71), Saydūk (cf. T-S Ar.51.95, which has a drawing of Maymūn Ghulām Saydūk), al-Aḥmar, al-Abyaḍ, al-Mudhahhab.

Family letter in Judaeo-Arabic. The addressee is in Sammanūd. On recto, there are greetings and expressions of longing, "We have not enjoyed a day of health or well being since the day you left us. . . no sooner does one illness end than another begins (אלא מן מרץ נפרג ופי מרץ נבדא). . . ." The sender complains about the epidemic(s) this year and the inflation (ואנת תערף מרץ הדה אלסנה וגלאהא). On verso, gives instructions or a request mentioning flax and an item called מרארה(?) כרכי(?). Greetings to various people in the addressee's location, and greetings from Sitt al-Ḥusn. The address is written in an unusual location, in the margin of verso: يصل هذا الكتاب الى سمنود الى ("may this letter reach Sammanūd, for [...]."). AA. ASE.

Letter from a sick man to a physician. In Arabic script. The verso is written at 90 degrees to the recto, which is unusual, but appears to be the same handwriting and the same letter. Mentions: "on Sunday... you wrote us a copy/prescription (nuskha)... my mother(?), another time to you, and compound for her... she/I entered the bath after two days... by your religion, prescribe me a medicine that will benefit me... I have / she has perished, we are all prostrated, I have no one to go out and bring me anything, and (your) kindness will not be lost on God the exalted. They said to me that it/he is a piece of flesh (qiṭʿat laḥm = a common phrase for describing a wretched sick person)... obtain(?) for me from the hospital (al-maristān) palm ointment (marham nakhlī, cf. T-S 8J20.26 and Yevr.-Arab. I 1700.22), and if I recover / she recovers... {your} kindness will not be lost on me. I salute/greet you (qaraʾtu ʿalayka al-salām)." ASE

Recto: Letter in Arabic script. Possibly a draft, as it is covered with subsequent jottings. Addressed to 'the brother' Abū l-ʿAlā' (this is not completely clear; line 4). Only in line 10 does the body of the letter begain (wa-ghayra dhālika). The writer reports that he lay sick in the house for a whole month(?), but then God had mercy and delivered him from his illness (وغير ذلك اعلم الاخ اني مرضت وقمت في البيت شهر(?) ايام ولطف الله سبحانه... المملوك وخلصه من الالم الذي كان...). There are greetings to various people in the margin, including to the writer's maternal aunt Hanā(?) and her son Nuṣayr and to Nadd and Ṣafā l-ʿAyn(?). Verso: Letter drafts? Covered with Arabic script (and the Hebrew phrase שובה ישראל), but less organized than recto and more difficult to decipher. Needs further examination.

Letter from a man in Minyat Ghamr to his brother Maḥfūẓ in Fustat. In Arabic script. The writer has been ill, and people tell him he must go to Fustat to recover. He has sent multiple letters asking the addressee to rent him a room in Fustat; no answer. Information from Goitein's note cards.

Letter of appeal in Arabic script. The writer, Faḍā'il al-ʿŪdī b. Baṣīla (?), had lived for 6 years in Alexandria until he had to come this year ("in which nothing is blessed") to Fustāṭ. He is unemployed there and unable to even enter the market of the druggists due to debts owed to Ibn Ṣ[...] and others. He now perishes of hunger and illness. No one in the family has eaten for three nights. He has three dependents: his wife, his daughter (a widow), and her three-year-old son. He asks for charity especially for the rent of a boat (to travel back to Alexandria?). He concludes with blesings for the addressee, in the midst of which he writes, "If it were not for God and your mercy with regard to this year's jāliya, I would be in prison." Information in part from Goitein's note card. ASE.

Letter of condolence from Abū Naṣr to his brother's son ʿImrān. In Arabic script. Aodeh notes that the introduction contains formulae similar to those in Fatimid state documents. Abū Naṣr, his wife, and his sons Mufaḍḍal, Makārm, and Abū l-Khayr all offer their condolences upon the death of the young woman (ṣabiyya) Sitt Zaynihim (Aodeh reads "sayyidatuhum"). The sender excuses his delay in sending this letter by explaining that he was mortally ill, to the point that he made a will. Abū Manṣūr told the sender that the addressee had sent some bitumen (qifār), but it has not arrived. Regards to Umm Abū Isḥāq and her sister and to Abu l-Faraj. (Information in part from Aodeh)

Letter in Arabic script from a blind man, Barakāt al-Jiblī, to the man with whom his son Ḥassūn lives, Sābiq al-Kohen b. Maḥfūẓ, dictated to Yaʿqūb, the cousin (ibn ʿamm) of the addressee. The purpose of the letter is to rebuke Sābiq: "I think of you what I think of my son Ḥassūn, namely, that I have written him many letters and not received a single response. All this time he has not thought of me or inquired about my health (iftaqad ḥālī) at all. His mother passed away one year ago with a great fire (or: grief) in her heart on his account. I am an old man, and I have lost my vision and ceased earning a living." In the remainder of the letter he beseeches Sābiq to respond and to urge his son to behave properly and remember his father. Information in part from Goitein's note card and Med Soc, V, p. 124, n. 423. ASE

State document. Petition to a Fatimid ruler in which the writer asks to be exempted from the payment of his capitation tax (of 1 + 1/3 + 1/4 dinars and a dirham), since lost his sight as a consequence of an eye illness and is now unable to perform his job, while the tax collectors are increasingly pressing. The writer also states that in the past he had been able to pay his capitation tax only thanks to the charitable intervention of the community. Dating: 12th century. On verso there is Hebrew text, possibly liturgical. (Information in part from CUDL.)