Geniza Lab

Receipt issued by Yaʿaqov Raẓon to al-Senyor Merkado Karo for 82 reales.

Accounts related to commerce in silk on a bifolium that is undated yet can be estimated as late-18th to early-19th-century given the presence of Meʾīr ben Naʾīm's name and the general paleography of the document. The monetary sums are expressed in silver "פצה" coinage. Many partners in trade are listed such as: Avraham Yaʿabeṣ, Ḥajj Ḥasan Miʾmar[?], Yaʿacov Portos, and Moshe Hakīm. On the left page of the bifolium the financial instrument "polisa / פוליסה" common in moneylending is mentioned. Date: 18th c or 19th c. MCD.

Late letter in Judaeo-Arabic fron Nissim Masos (?) to Shimʿon Frances.

Accounts mainly in Ladino, written in the same hand but not necessarily from the same notebook (the pages are not all the same size, and the grids on different fragments are in purple ink vs. red/brown ink). Lists of names in Ladino which follow a common formula repeating the phrase "la mujer de X." There are also Greek influenced names such as "la mujer de Nicoli ẓu Demitri". The list's structure and the paleography help to estimate the dating as 18th/19th-century. One fragment additionally contains a list of donations (?) from individuals including Yaʿaqov Bibas, a Mosseri, and a Bialobos. MCD.

Late accounts mentioning Merkado Karo, Me'ir ben Naʿim, Eliyyyahu b. Ṣahal, Mordekhai Bialobos.

Recto: Brief note in Judaeo-Arabic, reassuring the recipient that everyone is well and that conditions in the region are the same as they have been. After the holiday, certain people will decide whether or not they will visit the recipient. Verso: Shabbat zemirot?

List in Judeo-Arabic of itemized food ingredients, quantities, and associated dates. Based on the paleography the dating is likely 18th/19th-century. The food items include sesame seeds, sesame oil, meat, eggs, lemon, ṣarma, and cucumber. MCD.

List in Judaeo-Arabic of coinage types and monetary calculations. Based on the mintage of its contents the list is 18th/19th-century.The types of coinage include gold mahbub, qit'a "קוטע", rub'iye "רובעיה", and general silver "פצה". To the left of each column, the "ق" symbol for silver kuruş appears. MCD.

List in Judeo-Arabic and Hebrew of donations collected before various Shabbatot that may be dated in connection with nearby shelfmarks of the same document type (i.e. JRL Series C 156). The weekly parshas are listed such as "פינחס" and the formula for each weekly entry repeats, as "עלם מקבוץ יום שישי סדר פינחס " which translates as "notice of the [contributions] on Friday received [for] seder Pinchas". There are many examples of this communal register type from the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, such as AIU VII.F.60 and JRL SERIES B 2003. MCD.

Accounts in Judaeo-Arabic of funds regarding weeks of the Jewish liturgical calendar that differ in structure but are related to nearby shelfmarks such as JRL C 161 and JRL C 159. From the paleography the dating can be estimated as 18th/19th-century. On the recto there is also a list of books in the Bible and the corresponding totals of their respective chapters (i.e. Joshua 24, Judges 21, etc.). On the verso, the Judaeo-Arabic word "חסאב / حساب" is used repeatedly in labeling the headings of various entries/calculations. Date: 18th c or 19th c. MCD.

List of names and monetary figures in silver kuruş "גרשו" of which the dating is likely 18th/19th-century. In the verso list's heading, the word "גבלת" appears, which may be a Judeo-Arabic idafe-construction of the word "gabela / גבלה". If this is the case, then this list may indicate payments toward the communal kashrut tax. MCD.

Accounts in Arabic with a complex array of calculations likely monetary in nature, with the symbol "ق" on occasion perhaps indicating silver kuruş. The potential coinage label along with the paleography help estimate the dating of the fragment as 18th/19th-century. This fragment represents a portion of a bifolium which may have once constituted a wider financial ledger. One of the entries on the verso is labeled "اسكندراني" and the overarching headings are marked according to weekdays. MCD.

List of alphanumerical figures that on the verso are clearly related to debts "דיווני" and organized by succesive days of the week. On the recto the structure and content of entries is less clear. The paleography helps to estimate the dating of the fragment as 18th/19th-century. MCD.

Lists in Judeo-Arabic of various food items and their respective quantity or weight. The paleography helps to estimate the dating of the fragment as 18th/19th-century. Most of the food types are listed generically as eggs, lemon, beans, almonds, etc. but on the bottom of the recto it is clear that quantities of beef are being calculated in raṭl units given the mention of "לחם בקרי". MCD.

Accounts in Judaeo-Arabic listing a variety of individuals and corresponding monetary sums in silver kuruş which helps to estimate the dating of the document as 18th/19th-century (the Ottoman silver kuruş was not in wide circulation until the early 1700sCE). At the beginning of each entry before the name appears "טרפ / taraf" is written, which is in Ottoman Turkish is literally a "side" or "place". In this context, however, it means "for Avraham Ḥazaq's [part]". This usage is common more generally in early modern Ottoman financial recordkeeping. The lists on the recto portray account calculations that are organized by days of the week in connection to specific individuals, namely: Avraham Ḥazaq, Yehuda al-Giorbi[?], Avraham Bashiri, Eliyyahu Ḥabak[?], Mikhael Naʿim, and on the verso many more names are mentioned. Date: 18th or 19th c. MCD.

Lists in Judaeo-Arabic of "מצרופ/expenses" on food items organized according to weeks of the liturgical calendar that are indicated by their respective parsha readings (i.e. "Eikev/עקב" on recto and "Pinechas/פינחס" on verso). The purpose of this list may have been communal and based on the paleography and method of timekeeping, the fragment likely dates to the 18th or 19th centuries. The food items and related goods in the lists include: "לחם/meat" (recto and verso), "משמש/apricots" (l. 7r), "פחם/charcoal" (l. 16r), and other itemized goods that correspond with monetary figures in "פצה/silver" (which is a label for the right column in each list). On the verso the first name Efraim is mentioned at the end of each list in the phrase "ואצל דאלך מן ס׳ אפראים/ this is being paid by S[eñor] Efraim". MCD.

Lists in Judaeo-Arabic that are designated by individual names such as Moshe Qanini, Sa'ad Qanini (recto), and Nissim al-Ḥāmī (verso). Based on the paleography and the latter's surname the fragment's dating can be estimated to the 18th or 19th centuries. Below each name there are entries with corresponding numbers such as "דוכאן / shop", "סופר / scribe", and "מסעי / letter carrier". The nature of these entries suggests that the numerical figures may be costs associated with each. MCD.

Lists in Judaeo-Arabic related to the household items and finances of Yiṣḥaq al-Yebdani[?] (recto) and Moshe Abzardil (verso). Based on the paleography and the latter's surname the fragment's dating can be estimated to the 18th or 19th centuries. The list related to Yebdani includes household items such as "פנגאן / coffee cup", "סכינה / knife", and "פנאר / lantern". The list related to Abzardil on the verso is more complex and appears to include more monetary calculations than the inventory-format of the recto. It is crucial to note that the l. 17v entry is dated according to Friday of the week of the Lecha-Lecha parsha reading (which is a format common in the JRL C Series for communal lists). It is unclear however, if this fragment too served a communal function or happened to rely on the same form of timekeeping. Date: 18th c or 19th c. MCD.

List related to the communal "chest / ארגז" of the Maghrebi community (here written as "מערבים" in the heading). The list's structure and paleography help to estimate its dating as 18th/19th-century. A wide array of names are listed along with corresponding monetary figures, such as: Barukh Meṣlīḥ, Yehuda Qudsī, Nissim Mosseri, Yosef Zeytūn, and many others. MCD.

List of communal contributions received in the month of Adar I that dates to the late-18th or early-19th centuries, based on the names mentioned onr recto, paleography, and structure of other lists in JRL Series C. The list on the verso mentions "מצרופ / expenses" rather than "מקבוץ / received" which is the key term on the recto that indicates incoming rather than outgoing funds. Many names are listed on the recto, such as: Yitzhak Abu Harun, Eliahu Menashe, Aharon Simhon, and others. On the verso, the expesnses are indicated for example, with "חזן / hazzan" and "סופר / scribe". Therefore the latter numerical figures may indicate payments made to individuals who held these posts. MCD.