Geniza Lab

Calendar. Late. Colorful floral illustrations, with the text in circular medallions. The surrounding fragments are either from the same calendar or very similar ones.

Essay on the intercalation of the calendar: אדא ארדנא אלוקוף עלי עלם אלחיבור. The hand is familiar, perhaps 13th century.

Calendar. Listing some of the months of the Hebrew calendar and some of the months of the Islamic calendar.

Recto: Letter from David b. Naʿim to Meir b. Naʿim. In Judaeo-Arabic. Dated: 18 Elul 5580, which is 1820 CE. On verso there is a calendar for the year 5584 AM, which is 1823/24 CE.

Fragment of a calendar in a red grid. Closely resembles (but not direct join with) BL OR 10578C.44.

Calendar.

A table of calendrical/astronomical calculations.

Fragment of a calendar.

Fragment of a beautifully illuminated calendar (?).

Calendar for the years 4728–4731 of the Era of Creation (=967-968 to 970-971 CE), dated according to the Era of Creation. The calendar mentions intercalation, the length of the variable months, days of the week of beginnings of months and the date and time of the four tequfot. The calendar has a heading שארית מח[זור] ‘the remainder of the 19-year cycle’. (Information from CUDL.)

Recto: calendar for the year 5008 of the Era of Creation (= 1247-1248 CE), year 11 of the 19-year cycle 264. The calendar is dated according to the Era of Creation, the Seleucid Era, the Era of the Destruction of the Second Temple, the Era of the Exodus and position of the year in the 19-year and the Sabbatical cycles. The calendar mentions the intercalation, length of the variable months, the calendrical type of the year, moladot of all months, days of the week of beginnings of months, days of the week and dates of festivals and fasts, the date and time of the tequfot, as well as the time when prayers for rain begin. The sign ‘//’ is used for zero. Verso: calendrical texts written indifferent directions including 1) a chronology from Exodus to the year 5008 of the Era of Creation; 2) two calculations of molad Tišri of 5009 of the Era of Creation; 3) at the bottom of verso, written transversely a calculation of moladot of all months and the four tequfot for the year 5009 of the Era of Creation and molad Tišri of 5010 of the Era of Creation; 4) a separate calculation of molad Tišri of 5010 of the Era of Creation. All moladot on recto and verso are 12 hours higher than the correct values. Tequfot and days of the week of beginnings of months for 5009 of the Era of Creation are crossed out. There is also Arabic script and Rūmī (Greek/Coptic) numerals in different places on the page. (Information from CUDL.)

Calendar for the years 4962–4964 of the Era of Creation (= 1201-1202 to 1203-1204 CE), dated according to the Era of Creation, the Seleucid Era, the Era of the Destruction of the Second Temple and the position of the year in the 19-year, Sabbatical cycle and jubilee cycles. The calendar mentions intercalation, the length of the variable months, the type of the year, moladot of all months and days of the week of beginnings of months. (Information from CUDL.)

Calendar for the years 4790–4791 of the Era of Creation (= 1029-1030 to 1030-1031 CE), dated according to the Era of the Destruction of the Second Temple, the position of the year in the 19-year cycle and in the Sabbatical cycle, the Era of Creation and the Seleucid Era. The calendar mentions intercalation, length of variable months, moladot of all months, days of the week of beginnings of months, festivals and fasts, and the time and date of the tequfot. Some moladot have mistakes that appear to be caused by copying from a draft calculation of moladot. The date of the next year is given at the bottom of verso. (Information from CUDL.)

Recto: Small fragment of a Judaeo-Arabic letter. Verso: Text discussing the calendar and liturgical additions.

Geonic responsum about the calendar controversy of Ben Meir, dated 994–95 CE. It is attributed to Hayye Gaon. Preserved here is the second of two versions of this responsum, referring to the era of Creation, the epoch of the molad and tequfah, and the 19-year cycle. The first version is preserved in a secondary source, Abraham bar Ḥayya’s monograph on the Jewish calendar known as Sefer ha-'Ibbur (3:7), first published by Herschell Filipowski in 1851. Although these two versions share much in common, there are significant textual variations between them, and extensive passages that are unique to only one or the other version. Thus, this passage refers to the controversy of Ben Meir and is preserved only in the Cairo Geniza version. (Information from Sacha Stern, The Jewish Calendar Controversy)

Letter 1 of 4 of Letters Miscellany, a collection of letters representing both sides of the calendar controversy. Letters 1 and 2 are pro-Babylonian. Both respond to a polemic on the calendar by the Palestinian Head of Academy (or one of his disciples), and both refute systematically each of his polemical argument. Addressee suspected, with his disciples, to be an ally of Palestinian camp. Author claims not to suspect him, but calls on him nevertheless to denounce this rumour publicly, and to join in the campaign against the Palestinians (fol.3r:18-3v:19). The addressee appears to be a Palestinian resident, as the author of our letter claims that the majority of Israel are on the Babylonian side, whereas ben Meir’s followers are localised and only ‘in a few places that are around you’ (fol.3v:7-8). Author writes from a position of authority, and appears to know recipient personally. Polemic responding to a text that was written by ben Meir or his disciple. One line (fol.3v:6-7) suggests that our letter may have been written between Passover and the New Year of 922 CE. T-S 10J32.1 is almost completely preserved in a single piece, and contains uniquely the entire text of the folio, although its bottom margin is torn off and lost; its measurements are thus informative, even if the folio’s full dimensions (its bottom margin, and its total height) remain unknown.

Recto: calendar reckoning. Verso: legal document, mentioning Shela, his brother and a half qinṭar of mercury. (Information from CUDL)

Calendar for September 1153-September 1156 for Avraham Ibn Yiju's private synagogue.

Latest, most formal, and most perfected, copy of the Book of the Calendar Controversy. About the disagreement between Jewish leaders of Palestine and Babylonia on how to calculate the calendar year in 921/2. This led the Jews of the entire Near East to celebrate Passover and the other festivals on different dates over the course of two years.

Karaite document, compiled by a delegation of 12 Gaza and Jerusalem Karaites, regarding the state of fields in the spring in order to determine whether to intercalate the year, March 1052.