Geniza Lab

Letter from Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi, probably in Qalyūb, to a family member, in Fustat. Fragment: left side of recto, right side of verso, tapering as they go down. The remaining piece is so narrow that it will not make a lot of sense until the join is found. He mentions: two knives, two notebooks; Ṭāhir; Ibn al-Sabʿ; Hiba; Ibn Yaʿaqov; the holidays.

Recto: Letter from Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi to his brother Yedutun ha-Levi. Stating that he has sent with the bearer 1 3/4 dirhams, along with small quantities of other items, and he requests to borrow a notebook and copy it, and he tells him twice to come see him this very night. Verso: The response, from Yedutun to Moshe. Stating that the silver is actually 1 5/8 dirhams, perhaps a correction to what was written on recto. ASE

Legal declaration in which the witnesses attest to the victory of Musa b. al-Ahuv (alias Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi) over Yizhaq al-Siqilli in retaining the position of muqaddam of Qalyub during Sar Shalom’s gaonate. Contains illuminating passages about the qualifications (lines 17-21) and the privileges (lines 21-24) of a muqaddam and the election process. Dated Sunday the 7th of Av, 1506/1195. In the handwriting of Moshe b. Levi himself. See also T-S 13J20.18 (in which Moshe b. Levi beseeches Sar Shalom not to believe an enemy's slander against him) and ENA 4020.4 (in which Sar Shalom confirms Moshe's position as cantor and slaughterer of Qalyub). ASE.

Recto: Letter from Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi, Qalyub, to a family member in Fustat. Partial translation from S. D. Goitein, Mediterranean Society, 2:271: "I am sending you with the bearer of this letter 15 dirhems. Please buy for me 1¼ pounds of emblic (amlaj) [“Indian gooseberry,” see above], approximately for 4¼ dirhems or less; 2½ pounds of deep-red rose water (mā' ward), approximately ¾ d.; A fuqqā‘a (bottle of potions), approximately ½ d. or less; 1 pound eye powder, well made, on special order, approximately 2 d. or less; 1 miswāk (tooth-cleaning twig), approximately 2 d.; 1 pound antimony, approximately 3¼ or 3½ d. or less; 2½ pounds cosmetic cream (mathāth), approximately 2¼ d.or less. The writer also sends three drafts of dirges (qinnot) and asks his brother Abū l-Ḥasan (Yedutun ha-Levi) to correct them. Verso: Petition draft in Arabic script to the Amir Sharaf al-Dawla (?). The handwriting is that of Moshe b. Levi (compare ENA NS 68.11). Lines 8-15 are the substance of the petition (وينهي انه قد اشتهى...), which requires further examination. The writer (perhaps Moshe) seems to repeat several times his desire to come to the great city. ASE.

Letter to the Gaon Sar Shalom ha-Levi, head of the Palestinian yeshiva (in office ca. 1170–71 and 1173–95), in which the muqaddam of Qalyub (the handwriting is that of Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi) excuses himself from appearing in person on account of his illness. He certifies that there was no civil or religious impediment to the marriage of the girl called Ama'im, daughter of Abu 'l-Ḥasan. The Gaon ordered an inquiry because the family had moved from one place to another, the girl's sister was married to a freedman, and her brother had moved from Qalyub to the Manufiyya district, where he embraced Islam. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, pp. 301, 591; III, p. 81; V, pp. 108, 110) VMR

Letter from Walad al-Nezer (i.e. Mevorakh b. Nathan b. Shemuel) to the notable Netanel b. Avraham, a physician living in the Rif (and muqaddam of al-Mahallah, see 10J20.21), recommending ha-Hazzan Abu l-Bayan Moshe b. ha-Hazzan al-Ahuv who traveled to the Rif in order to collect money for his capitation tax. The young man is recommended as one growing up among the hazzanim in the time of Sar Shalom - may his name live forever - and in our own time. Information from Goitein's note card and S. D. Goitein, Mediterranean Society, 2:389-90, 612. EMS. ASE.

Letter from Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi (active 1190s–1212 CE), in Qalyūb, to a family member in Fustat. Moshe requests a silver mirwad (stick for applying kohl) that is in the possession of Ibn Yaʿaqov, and he will send the price. He had sent with the bearer a load of lāsīn silk for Abū l-Riḍā the son of Sitt Ziyāda, who is to pay 2.5 dirhams. He wants to know if they have received the silver from Saʿāda the female slave of Ṭāḥir b. al-Ghuzzī and to purchase with it all the goods that Moshe had already told his mother about, viz., polypodium (? אשתיואן); Iraqi incense; frankincense; white mastic. He has sent another letter with the bearer of the letter for Ibn al-Ṭaffāl. He mentions Ibn al-Nuʿmān in the last couple lines. On recto there is a taqbīl clause and three lines of Arabic script in a chancery hand from a presumably Ayyubid government report (see separate entry). ASE.

Letter fragment (right half of recto, left half of verso) from Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi, Qalyub, to a family member in Fustat. It is primarily concerned with the commodities of saffron and safflower (specifically that the miller doesn't cheat them out of the right amount of saffron or dilute it with safflower), along with a report of products ground by the miller by request. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, pp. 270-272, 585.) There are Hebrew alphabet and Arabic jottings in the margins. Moshe mentions someone named al-Siqilli; a young donkey (jahsh); three children who have been sickened; dragon's blood (dam akhawayn); EMS. ASE.

Fragment of a letter composed circa 1236 CE by Abu l-Ḥasan Yedutun b. Abu Sahl Levi, at one time the cantor of the Palestinian synagogue in Fustat, who signs his name Ḥasan b. Sahl. The letter is a detailed explanation of the funeral and financial arrangements following the death of his father Levi and his brother Moshe, with the aim of exonerating himself from the accusations of Abu l-Bayan and Abu l-Fadl (the sons of Moshe?) that Yedutun “took the property of their father and grandfather.” Yedutun’s father, Levi he-Ḥaver, died on the 24th of Tishrei in 1211. His brother, Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi, died on the 20th of Adar in 1212. (This is consistent with the information from T-S NS 264.98, a letter written by Moshe, indicating that both Moshe and Levi were alive in 1206.) We also learn that Abu l-Mufaddal the judge died in 1212, only a month or so following the death of Moshe. Yedutun repeatedly refers to his own illnesses, claiming that he was too ill to have had any part in the disposition of the estates, let alone steal more than his share. He notes in the postscript, again emphasizing his physical infirmities, "It has been 24 years since my brother Musa died. [If there is substance to their claims,] how have they ignored this matter for all this time? ... Every penny that falls into my or my wife/family's hands goes to [Abu l-]Bayan... and it is the same with Abu l-Fadl." This letter clarifies an ambiguity discussed by Shulamit Elizur in her article, “Individual Mourning and National Solace in Early Liturgical Poetry,” Ginzei Qedem 7 (2011), pp. 16–24, in which she presents T-S NS 135.3b (Yedutun’s elegy for his father Levi) and T-S NS 325.135 (Yedutun’s elegy for his brother Moshe). Each poem mourns multiple deaths—a father, a brother, and a judge—in addition to the main subject of the elegy, and this letter clarifies that Yedutun indeed lost a father, a brother, and a judge in rapid succession. Join: Alan Elbaum. ASE.

Extremely faded letter from Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi, Qalyub, to a family member in Fustat. The overall tone is distressed. When the content starts to be (barely) legible in line 16, Moshe is narrating the events following the death of the sister of Sulayman who was the wife of Ya'qub. The family apparently asked Moshe (a cantor) to lead the services. Over 40 people packed into the house incuding a group from al-Mah[allah?]. He started praying, but it seems quietly and to himself. The congregants shouted at him that he had to pray out loud and with 'cantorship' (אלחזאנה) in the 'new' style. Moshe, however, had forgotten how to do this (performance anxiety?) and so he had to continue praying 'without cantorship.' The continuation is unfortunately effaced, and when it is legible again in line 9 of verso, Moshe is probably writing about his sisters ('al-Kabirah' and Fakhr) and mentions a man named Ibn al-'Assar. He concludes with greetings. ASE.

Letter from Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi, in Qalyub, to family members in Fustat. He inquires briefly about commercial dealings before insisting that there is no need for his mother to trouble herself with coming to visit. If she wishes to give him the fabric, they can simply send it with Safi, and if she wishes to tell him in person about the illness of his sister, then she should simply write the news in a letter: “There is no shame in that; people are accustomed to writing the secrets of people in letters and sending them.” He mentions that the Amir Sajja‘a al-Din has arrived in Qalyub and is asking about Moshe’s brother Abu l-Ḥasan. In a postscript, he apologizes for the many errors. ASE.

Letter from Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi, Qalyub, to a family member in Fustat, dealing with sundry small business matters. He orders walnuts, sugar, and Sinnārī cheese (this last to be sent with Salāma). Ibn al-Nuʿmān is to be paid 42 dirhams. Ibn al-Dajānī will receive some as well. Moshe refers to the pressing of the grapes. He is anxious to know about the capitation tax and how much remains to be paid so that he can send some money to help. Abū Khalaf is mentioned in the margin. Verso is more faded and difficult to understand. He writes that Farruj's name is Furrayj b. Ishaq (?), and the agent's name is Ma'ani b. Abu l-Khayr. He asks for medicine and/or medical advice regarding the boy who was circumcised on Friday and who 'chafed' his 'leg' and has a bit of blood at the opening. In a postscript Moshe says he has sent with the bearer a copper vessel (qumqum) that is either filled with or to be filled with rose water. Mentioned in Ashtor, Histoire des prix, 1969, p. 136. ASE.

Letter from Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi, in Qalyub, to Gaon Sar Shalom ha-Levi, in Fustat. In Hebrew. After a poem in praise in the Gaon and lengthy salutations, Moshe tells the story of a certain Yefet b. Shelomo the physician, known as Ibn al-Ṭaffāl (“son of the fuller”), who arrived in Qalyub bearing a letter from Sar Shalom supposedly appointing him as the exclusive mohel for “all the villages.” Moshe could not find Sar Shalom’s distinctive mark in the letter, so he announced that the letter was counterfeit. The poor man Ma‘ani’s son was circumcised by Yefet ha-Qatzar instead, pro bono. Moshe now gets to the point of the letter: he has heard that Ibn al-Ṭaffāl slandered him to Sar Shalom, claiming that he said things against the Gaon that he never said. Moshe concludes by begging for mercy: he insists that has not done anything wrong, Sar Shalom must not believe anything without witnesses and proofs, and, finally, who is he that Sar Shalom should be angry at him? “After whom is the king of Israel come out? after whom dost thou pursue? after a dead dog, after a flea” (1 Samuel 24:14). On verso, he apologizes for the poor quality of the paper, stating that it was the best he could find, and for the poor quality of his writing. He would have presented himself in person, but it was all he could do to even write a letter. He wrote it lying down, prostrated by illness of his intestines and eyes. See S. D. Goitein, Mediterranean Society, 2:232, 573; 3:503; 4:407. EMS. ASE.

Recto: letter from Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi, probably in Qalyūb, to his father Abū Sahl Levi, in Fustat. He asks the addressee to a sell the coats (al-shuqaq) and with the proceeds to buy for him what he had specified in his preceding letter. He asks his brother Abū l-Ḥasan (Yedutun) to send him some sort of letter (כתאב אלמזאיד?) that the owner had requested. He asks the addressee to have the scissors belonging to Furayj repaired without delay and send them to him; he will pay however much it costs. He informs the addressee that his paternal uncle Ṭāhir had spent Shabbat with him. He sends regards to his other paternal uncles, ʿImrān and Bayān. He also sends regards to Bū l-Yusr. Verso: letter from Abū Sahl Levi to his son Moshe, with a detailed list of transactions he had conducted on behalf of the recipient. Notably he obtained for his son three dirhams of mastic (ʿilk), a pound of mercury (zaybaq), a pound of barberries, and a half-pound of alum (shabb). He needs the container (kūz) in which he had sent the mercury back without delay, because he gave collateral for it. The addressee still owes a dirham to Ṭāhir and 1 3/4 dirhams to Baqāʾ al-Kohen. The margin contains a plea not to cut off the expenses provided to the addressee's niece or cousin. It also mentions Ṣāfī, the ghulam who sometimes shuttled letters and commercial goods for the family members letters between Qalyub and Fustat (hence no need for addresses). (Information in part from Goitein's index card.) EMS, VMR, ASE.

Verso: Letter in the handwriting of Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi. He has arrived safely (presumably from Fustat to Qalyub). He tells the addressee to take the coat (shuqqa) from the house of Ibn Tāj al-Maʿānī and give it to Rabbenu Shelomo, and to give other goods to Abū ʿAlī. He was saddened to leave (Fustat) when a woman in the family (al-kabīra) was sick (mutawajjiʿa). Note that Moshe cut up ENA 2558.18 + T-S 13J7.12, a legal document dated 1194 CE, and reused the versos of both fragments for letters. The transcription for this document is temporarily located on the record for the join (PGPID 1187). EMS. ASE.

Draft of a Hebrew letter from Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi to a distinguished physician also named Moshe (but probably not Maimonides because Moshe b. Levi blesses his "sons" rather than "son"). The writer just spent a week in the household of Dr. Moshe, hoping to gain a livelihood of 10 dirhams a week, as he had been struggling to support himself during this drought. However, Moshe b. Levi became embarrassed by all the trouble Dr. Moshe went to on his behalf, so he ran away. He also complains that he could not find any water with which to wash his hands. He now writes this letter begging Dr. Moshe to judge him favorably and to continue bestowing his favor on him. He reminds Dr. Moshe that he still owes Moshe half of a dirham from the book sale for the three tractates (the other draft lists Yoma, Sukkah, and Beitzah) and half of a dirhamfor Sefer Kinyan. T-S Misc.28.140 is a more developed version of the letter, with opening blessings and a signature.

Letter from a certain Ḥ[alfon] (?) to Shemarya b. David requesting an appointment as a religious functionary. Egypt, 1213 (?). He cannot work because of his weak vision. The handwriting resembles that of Moshe b. Levi (d. 1212), who may have written the letter on behalf of the petitioner—but this is speculative. ASE.

Recto: Letter in the hand of Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi, presumably from Qalyub to his father in Fustat. He had just been in Fustat, advocating for himself with the Nagid Sar Shalom (Abu Zikri) against the machinations of Ibn al-Taffal against him. He has now arrived safely in Qalyub, and he informed the community of what happened, and they rejoiced. Apparently Sar Shalom had given verbal confirmation that Moshe would be appointed (as muqaddam) but had not yet provided a letter of installment. Moshe now asks the recipient to go to Abu 'Ali, who is to go to Sar Shalom and get the letter. Moshe is also worried about what Bu l-Khayr told him, namely that his brother Abu Ishaq has been beating the wife of his paternal uncle. Verso: The response, probably from Abu Sahl Levi to his son Moshe. He informs him that no one has been beating anyone, there are simply wicked people who try to cause trouble between husband and wife. He confirms that he will try to get hold of the letter of appointment. He concludes, "As for Ibn al-Taffal, may God sort him." ASE.

Letter from Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi, Qalyub, to a contact in Fustat. He heard that al-Shaykh al-Yesod would like to spend Shabbat in Fustat, and the addressee is to look after him. There is an air of secrecy, however. "Tell him that I am a member of the family (min dhurriyatikum), and if he asks you about the family (al-dhurriya), tell him there are no news." (Perhaps referring to a waqf dhurriya i.e. family trust? or simply to a regular inheritance?). The specifics of the matter are obscure. Moshe also writes that the Shaykh Sajjāʿ al-Dīn (‘the poet’) apprehended him and said, 'What is that feeble old man doing to you? Let me put him in order (?)." Sajjāʿ al-Din apparently refers to the writer's brother, Abū Isḥāq. Moshe reiterates what the party line should be if either al-Yesod or Sajjāʿ al-Din bring up the matter of an inheritance with the recipient. EMS. ASE.

Note from Moshe b. Levi ha-Levi probably to his brother Yedutun, in which he repeats five times that the recipient is urgently invited to a circumcision ceremony to be held on Friday, tomorrow, and promises to escort him back to the capital on Sunday. (S. D. Goitein, A Mediterranean Society, 5:14, 506.) EMS, ASE.