Geniza Lab

List of names of contributors, including many physicians. Ca. 1210 (Information from Goitein's index cards)

Letter or petition from a group of people in Fustat. Headed by a biblical verse, then the rest is in Judaeo-Arabic. "We the undersigned of this document (hādha l-manshūr) who live in Fustat... our knowledge that the worship of God the exalted in the... Israel in what happened before... and it came about (?? nusija) from us—due to our great sins—... the action, and we found in it readiness (? taʾahhub) and demoralization (? inkisār qalb)." Might be a draft, since it does not appear to continue underneath this line. The content is intriguing but the context and dating are unclear.

Fragment of a letter addressing an 'elder of the congregations' with many honorifics and mentioning some gossip (rekhilut).

List of contributors, on verso of page from a siddur: Musaf rosh hodesh. Coptic figures. Headed by 'our lord R. Avraham' (Maimonides?) (Information from Goitein index cards)

Account of expenditures ca. 1200. Various expenditures, mostly on repairs, are recorded by a parnas, R. Yeshu'a. Written on both sides of a leaf, of which the verso contains the behinning of a letter, not pertaining to this topic. (Information from Gil, Documents, pp. 394 #106)

Two lists similar to T-S K15, fols. 5, 15, 39, 50, written by the same scribe and having mostly same names; one of the lists dated Friday Marheshvan 14. Has a special section for the Rum (Europeans) (42 persons). The second total at the bottom of col. II represents the addition of 4 loaves resulting from changes in three allocations in the list. Ca. 1107. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 443, App. B 23)

Account of the Qodesh: building expenditures, ca. 1040. Mainly materials for ceilings and roofs, palm branches, ropes, reeds, etc. Treesare also listed and the supply of doors. (Information from Gil, Documents, pp. 189 #20)

Account. Revenue from rent ca. 1230. A record of revenue listing 27 tenants of the qodesh. The first part is canceled by a stroke of the pen. This, and the word nuqila, i.e. "transcribed," show that the contens of such leaves used to be posted into notebooks. (Information from Gil, Documents, pp. 441 #132)

Pastoral letter presumably addressed to the Fustat community from the office of one of the later Maimonidean Nagids (Yehoshuaʿ?). In addition to general admonitions, the epistle states specifically that anyone selected by lot to serve as a collector of alms and refuses to act as such, or anyone objecting to participate in the weekly collections for the poor was liable to be punished with the 'heavy ban'. Dating to the late 13th or 14th century. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 503)

Almost poetic letter of a Gaon, perhaps Shelomo b. Yehuda. A woman deserted by her husband for many years had brought up her only son and when he was old enough had sent him out to find his father, but the boy perished on his way. Along with attempts at consolation the Gaon refers to a debt of 300 dinars and losses incurred by the recipient of his letter. On microfilm the verso appears before the recto. (Information from Mediterranean Society, III, p. 199)

Account for Nisan and Iyyar 1493 sel. ca. 1182. The usual items for accounts from Abu'l-Bayan are included in this one. There are 22 apartments and compounds listed, yielding revenue of 543 dirhams for two months. The second part of the account contains a list of ordinary expenditures which total 385.75 dirhams. A third part lists additional revenue and charges, At the same time, Ab'l-Bayan presents a further account, for two later months. The total revenue of these two additional months, a sum of 533 dirhams, is added to the balance of the former ones, then the total expenditures of the two additional months, a sum of 427.75 dirhams, is deducted, and so are his collection fees, which come to 60 dirhams. (Information from Gil, Documents, pp. 334 #83)

Account for Av and Elul 1494, and Tishri 1495 sel. ca. 1183. A double leaf, taken from the notebook of Judge Shemuel b. Saadya, this document contains two accoutns of revenue from rent, for the period Av 1494-Tishri 1495 sel., in which Elul 1494 appears twice, each time with different items. Each list of revenues is followed by one of expenditures for the same period. The first list of revenues includes 26 items, totaling 373.5 dirhams, and the second 20 items, totaling 367.5 dirhams. (Information from Gil, Documents, pp. 343 #87)

Draft of document of Maimonides' installation as Ra'is al-Yahud.

Letter fragment (lower part) from a muqaddam named Moshe, probably addressed to the dayyanim of Fustat, complaining that after the death of the Nagid Avraham his unworthy opponent had been appointed. A sick, old man is mentioned in the margin, but the surrounding text is damaged, so it is unclear if this is an aspersion directed at the rival or a complaint about his own condition. (Information in part from Goitein's index cards.) ASE

Hastily written list of about 40 contributors, 18 of whom are called Rabbi. An indication of very late origin is that the father's name follows that of son without b. = like a family name. The two elders at top of verso, but without numbers, Elimelech Kohen and Eliezer, probably were in charge of the collections for two weeks. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, 497, App. C 75)

Account of building operations ca. 1199. An accounting of repairs in the tabaqa of the compound called shirkat al-Dayyan R. Menashshe. The accounting, as prederved, covers a period of four days, Thursday, Friday, Monday, Tuesday, and refers mainly to the preparation of mortar, and carpentry work. It is written on a leaf of a notebook, of which two fragments are preserved, this one being the smaller one. (Information from Gil, Documents, pp.376 #100)

List of 54 contributors, by the scribe of T-S K15.70, ed. Mann, and T-S NS J41 and T-S Misc.8.9, headed by the representative of the merchants Yekutiel b. Moshe, 'al-Hakim'. Second donor, 'The Pride,' = Yefet b. Avraham, 'Pride of the Communities,' (dated docs. 1076-1103). Above most names there is a line, the medieval way of deleting, meaning certainly that payment was made. Similar list from same period (late 11th or early 12th c.) is T-S Ar.51.140. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 477, App. C 16, dated third quarter 11th century)

Long strip of paper, with both head and bottom torn away, containing about 25 names (among them four 'sukkaris,' or sugar makers), contributing to charity 1/2, 1, or 1 1/4, partly in wariq, and partly in nuqra. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 494, App. C 60)

Account, on parchment and much dilapidated, containing weekly revenue and expenditures (small related costs), in the elaborate hand of Aharon 'the expert cantor' b. Efrayim 'the scribe' (1058-1066). 7 persons in charge of collecting the pledges, one al-qammah (not a common Jewish profession). The total of 36 dirhams transferred from another leaf certainly was spent on bread for the poor. This list may refer to a community other than Fustat. (Information from Mediterranean Society, II, p. 476, App. C 13)

Account of revenue from rent, ca. 1165. Written by Judge Hiyya b. Yitzhak. The total sum, written in Coptic, is 561 dirhams, but details of only 319.25 are preserved. (Information from Gil, Documents, pp. 304 #68)