Geniza Lab

Ketubba fragment. The groom's name is Mazal Ṭov ha-Levi, and the bride is Esther. The eight lines below contain a detailed account of the conditions of the betrothal, and the date is given as Monday, 14th of Sivan, 5401 AM, which is 1641 CE. The name of the place is obliterated. Information from FGP.

Letter from (perhaps) Shelomo b. Moshe Lanyado to Shemuel Lanyado. Dated Shevat 5485 AM, which is 1725 CE. The letter is in Judaeo-Arabic but uses the Ladino "senyor" and "senyora" and איל שי״ת (=el shem yitbarakh; the definite article is probably Ladino because this writer consistently writes אל for the Judaeo-Arabic definite article). The writer reports on a difficult illness that befell him and his financial need and hunger and debts. A certain Yiṣḥaq Shalom helped him in his distress. He is still in great need and asks the addressee to send him money lest he die of hunger. It is possible to see how the letter was folded and what was written on each fold. On the middle fold, the name Shelomo b. Moshe Lanyado appears; this is in a different hand from the letter. It may be (but is not necessarily) the name of the writer. The address to Shemuel Lanyado appears on the outermost fold. On verso there is an ex-libris signature of the addressee (citing a barayta: "the rabbis taught (tanu rabbanan) that one ought to put his name on his books/letters. . . .). Information in part from FGP.

Letter from [Yose]f ha-Kohen in Jerusalem to an unknown addressee. In Hebrew. Late. The writer denies a claim against him. He advises the addressee to hurry to "this holy place." Information from FGP.

Letter from Meir Messina to his employer or business partner in Gaza. Written in Hebrew. Dating: Second half of the 16th century or beginning of the 17th century, based on the assessment of Avraham David. Deals with business matters, including trade in textiles and ppers. The writer describes borrowing money with interest and business dealings with gentiles. Information from FGP.

Letter in Hebrew and Judaeo-Arabic. Dating: Late 17th or early 18th century. Mention is made (ll. 17, 21, 25) of The Nazir Joseph ha-Levi (d. 1713), an emissary from Hebron who settled in Cairo and served as the head of its court. In his responsa Mate Yosef, (Istanbul, 1717-1726) he is often approached to deal with questions related to collection emissaries ([ש[לוחי] דר[בנן) (A. Yaʻari: Sheluḥe Erets Yiśraʾel / Abraham Yaari. Jerusalem : Mosad ha-Rav Ḳuḳ, 1977, p. 932). Also mentioned is an agent collecting for Safed named Ḥayim Ravuaḥ (l. 13). One of the subjects here is the issue of the transmission of a divorce bill. Information from FGP.

Letter from Yiṣḥaq (Izak) b. Avraham, in Safed, to a certain Moshe, in Fustat/Cairo. In Hebrew. Dated: 13 Heshvan 5333, which is 1572 CE. The hand is Ashkenazi, which is consistent with the writer's name אייזק. The letter has to do with the book trade. It seems that the writer has sent some books to the addressee and wants him to try to sell them rapidly, because he is in need of the proceeds. Information from Avraham David's edition via FGP. This shelfmark also includes a tiny fragment of another letter.

Recipes. In Hebrew. A mixture of magical spells, many medical, combined with domestic advice, e.g., how to remove urine stains. This fragment may be older than all the other ones in this folder.

Upper part of a letter in Hebrew dated 534[.] = 1570s CE. It is addressed to "my brother who is like my soul" and mentions the writer's arrival in Alexandria from Fustat, and, later, "I will pay you when you come to Jerusalem." The document was then reused, recto and verso both, for accounts, perhaps communal donations.

Late legal document in Hebrew: Shemuel rents a property from Avraham for 4 months for the price of 115 "peraḥim" per month. Information from Avraham David's transcription on FGP.

Probably the opening of a late letter in Hebrew to a sage ("ha-pilosof [...] Ibn [...]")—the name may be readable.

Possibly a late letter in Hebrew. Rashid is named at the bottom. Needs examination.

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.

Fragment of a letter in Hebrew from the second half of the 16th century, mentioning attempts to prevent a certain edict, in which R. Yosef Karo was involved (he is mentioned twice in this letter). Damascus is also mentioned.

Late legal document in which Yosef acknowledges an investment from [...] Kohen of 20,000 silver muayyadis.

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

A first-person note in late Hebrew by Sulaymān A[...], perhaps mentioning the sages of Safed.

The main fragment is a late letter or legal query in Hebrew regarding some sort of legal dispute.

Small fragment from the bottom of a late legal document. The name Gedalya Ṣarfatī appears in the margin.

Late betrothal document between Esther [...] bt. Se. Yaʿaqov ʿAdda and Se. Yosef פיחה (?), listing conditions. The word "contante" appears (Italian for "cash"?).

Late business letter in Hebrew signed by ha-ẓāʿir Me'ir [...] and mentioning pearls. Needs further examination.