Geniza Lab

A qinna for Tisha b'Av dated 5535 (1775 CE). There may be a faded signature that includes the name Yaʿaqov.

Legal document dated 23 August 1797 (1 Elul 5557), in which the brothers Yeshuʿa and Daniel ha-Levi acknowledge an investment by Me'ir ben Naʿim.

Recto: Engagement (shiddukhin) document, dated 7 November 1791 (10 Heshvan 5552), Fustat, for the cantor Khalīfa Khufayf (?) b. Aharon and Simḥa bt. Yaʿaqov b. Barukh. Verso: Legal document involving real estate, dated March 1792 (Adar 5552), Fustat.

Legal document dated July 1788 (Tamuz 5548), Fustat, in which the undersigned acknowledges receipt of 80 reales, perhaps from Yiṣḥaq Aripol.

Large list of names and sums of money (probably donations) dated Passover 1795 (5555).

List of donations to the fund for clothing for the poor for the year 550[8] = 1747/8 CE.

Recto: Likely a fragment of a legal document in Hebrew, mentioning merchandise and the years 1700/1 and 1701/2 CE (5461 and 5462). Verso: Likely accounts.

Legal document from Fustat dated 24 April 1798 (8 Iyar 5558), stating that Me'ir ben Naʿim has invested 5500 muayyadis with the Karaites ("bnei mikra") Moshe Kagicha (?) and [blank].

Late account in Judaeo-Arabic, dated 17 July 1724 (25 Shawwal 1136).

Accounts related to the Must'arabi community of Cairo in the year 5556 which is 1795/1796CE. In the remnant of the recto's heading the communal "chest / ארגז" is mentioned.The bifolium is very damaged along the edges but the paper's extensive length is still apparent and suggests that this was possibly a part of a broader communal charity register. Many individuals are listed as orphans or widows "[נה]אלמ" with corresponding figures in eastern Arabic numerals, namely: the widow of Nissim Binyamin, the widow of Ḥayyim 'Esur, the orphan of Nissim Kohen, the orphan of Shemuel 'Eṣmi. It is crucial to note that the first names of the widows and orphans themselves do note appear. The verso is blank. MCD.

Accounts related to the Must'arabi community of Cairo in the year 5556 which is 1795/1796CE. The bifolium is very damaged along the edges but the paper's extensive length is still apparent and suggests that this was possibly a part of a broader communal charity register. Many individuals are listed as orphans or widows "[נה]אלמ" with corresponding figures in eastern Arabic numerals, namely: the widow of Nissim Binyamin, the widow of Ḥayyim 'Esur, the orphan of Nissim Kohen, the orphan of Shemuel 'Eṣmi. It is crucial to note that the first names of the widows and orphans themselves do note appear. The verso is blank. MCD.

List in Judeo-Arabic and Hebrew of donations collected before various Shabbatot of the year 5556 = 1795/96CE. The weekly parshas are listed such as "אחרי מות" and the formula for each weekly entry repeats, as "עלם מקבוץ ס[דר] אחרי מות של שנת התקנו" which translates as "notice of the [contributions] received [for] seder Acharei Mot for the year of 5556". The week of Passover also appears among the entries on the recto and verso. 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 related to various coinage types such as dirham, fiḍḍa, and gold zingirli (here spelled as "גנזרלי"). The latter helps date this fragment as no earlier than 1700CE when gold zingirl coins first began to appear in wide circulation within the Ottoman empire (Pamuk, A Monetary history of the Ottoman Empire, 167). The entries appear to be marked according to days of the week. MCD.

Accounts in Judaeo-Arabic that feature a wide array of price-related calculation that may date from the 18th century based on the paleography and the mention of Venetian coinage. The recto is very faded yet on the verso the entry structure of the bifolium is more clear in that each set of calculations is designated by individuals, such as: Ḥayyim Tawīl, Yosef Mod[aʿ]?, and Maʿallam Saʿad. Some of the entries where prices are mentioned also reference types of coinage. On the upper right of the verso, line 2, the word "בונדוק / bunduk" appears which is in all likelihood a quantity of gold Venetian ducats. In the same column below that, the term "מתקיל / metqil" appears and elsewhere on the verso as another form of coinage. Based on the structure of this bifolium and the small tears along the inner spine, it may originate from a broader private ledger. MCD.

Lists related to communal contributions that are organized in a format according to the weeks of the liturgical calendar and their corresponding parshas as well as holidays (such as Succot and Yom Kippur). On both the recto and the verso, the year is mentioned but only legible on the recto as 5531 (1770/1771CE). This format of timekeeping is common with communal documents throughout the JRL Series C fragments yet this specific fragment is unique given the usage of western rather than eastern Arabic numerals. A handful of surnames appear and on the verso there is a list of food items. MCD.

Lists of weekly communal contributions given before various Shabbatot that are organized according to the weeks of the liturgical calendar and their corresponding parshas. In the heading of the upper left entry for the week of the Hazinu parsha, the year 5553 appears which is 1792/93CE. This form of communal recordkeeping has a wide array of joins from the late 18th and early 19th centuries such as JRL SERIES C 161. MCD.

Lists in Judeo-Arabic and Hebrew of donations collected before various Shabbatot. Each list is designated by individual contributors and specific weeks of the liturgical calender that are indicated by each respective parsha reading (i.e. Mishpatim and Pekudei). At the top of the recto and verso the year 5538JC appears which is 1777/1778CE. This fragment is serving the same purpose of communal recordkeeping as surrounding shelfmarks that also record Shabbat donations such as JRL SERIES C 76, JRL SERIES C 77 and JRL SERIES C 93. This particular shelfmark is not a join to these two others, however, because the scribal hand and layout are distinct. MCD.

List of names and corresponding monetary values in silver kuruş. At the top of the list's columns, the year is barely legible in the heading but is possibly ה]תקנב] which is 1791/1792CE. Although the year is unclear, the usage of silver kuruş indicated by the "ق" at the top of the numerical columns assists in the dating of the document as no earlier than 1703CE (when the coinage began to appear in wide circulation: Pamuk, A Monetary History of the Ottoman Empire, 160). Among the first names listed we find: Manṣūr, Ahmed, and Muhammed. MCD.

Accounts and calculations in Ladino which may be in silver reales based on the note at the bottom of the verso "kuento de los reales". On the recto, one of the entries on the left side appears to offer the date 22 Cheshvan 5496 (November 1735CE) and the entry below that is 30 Cheshvan. Then on the right side of the recto, the next entry passes into the subsequent month Kislev, which is in a difficult cursive hand but legible as a date with 5496 alongside it. MCD.

Letter in Ladino dated Kislev 1719 CE (5480). The address is in both Hebrew and Latin characters: "Al Se[nyor] Alpalas y Sahalon, Cairro." See "Alpalas y Sahalon" tag for more documents from the same group.